Upgrades coming to The Gorge Amphitheater

GEORGE — New improvements and previously requested upgrades are scheduled for the Gorge Amphitheater starting in 2026. Grant County Planning Director Jim Anderson-Cook said county officials have approved plans from Live Nation, the venue owner, to add some upgraded camping sites, what Anderson-Cook called “glamping” sites, and a new water reservoir.  

“This year, they’re building 35 of the glamping sites,” Anderson-Cook said. “What that’s going to entail is wooden platforms, and they’re going to erect tents similar to what’s out there already. A couple of them will be ADA accessible to be compliant with the code. There will be hard surface parking areas and bathrooms and showers in the first phase.” 

Live Nation responded to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald saying the company plans to build a new water reservoir in 2026, designed to hold 1.25 million gallons. That will provide additional drinking water for concertgoers and campers as well as improved firefighting capability, according to Live Nation. Anderson-Cook said Live Nation had agreed to provide more water for fighting fires as part of previous upgrade projects but hadn’t followed through. There are other conditions the company hasn’t yet met, he said. 

“What we’re asking for is, ‘Let’s do what we wanted you to do back in 2018. We’ll let you put in these 35 (campsites), but we also need you to catch up with what required of you back in 2018,’” Anderson-Cook said. 

The company will be required to conduct a traffic study during the 2026 concert season as an update to previous traffic studies. As of now, the 2026 season includes the annual Labor Day weekend concerts from the Dave Matthews Band – a longtime Gorge tradition – a single show by EDM performer Martin Garrix, a three-day concert by rocker Brandi Carlile, a two-day concert by country performer Chris Stapleton and three multi-day EDM festivals. The three-day Watershed country music concert has been canceled for 2026, which Anderson-Cook said could impact the traffic study.  

Grant County made improvements to Silica Road and Baseline Road in 2024, resurfacing the roads, widening them and adding turning lanes to alleviate some of the congestion on concert weekends.  

“We want to understand, is that enough, or are there more measures that need to be taken to improve traffic flows and patterns out there, based off data we’re going to allow them to collect this concert season, so that they can employ whatever improvements (needed) for next season,” Anderson-Cook said. 

County planning officials want to alleviate some of the traffic problems caused when different events are scheduled for different days of the same weekend. 

“Festivals create different traffic patterns than individual concerts, especially when you’re changing genres,” Anderson-Cook said. “That’s where we’ve gotten in trouble in the past, is when we have one genre of music outgoing, and then you’ve got another genre of music trying to come in that isn’t necessarily compatible, (entering) and occupying the same spaces that were just vacated. It just creates a nightmare. Live Nation is cognizant of that and are trying to do a better job of scheduling, but they’re at the mercy of those individual artists’ tour schedules.” 

The new water reservoir will upgrade the drinking water system as well as provide additional resources to fight fires.  

“They need to install fire protection measures. We need to see the water lines and fire hydrants, things like that, that were due to be installed in previous approvals. We want to see those things take place now,” Anderson-Cook said.  

The plan submitted by the company proposes eventually building about 150 camping sites, he said. The company has also proposed upgrades to a recreational vehicle park near the venue that lacked water, sewer and electrical access.  

“There’s a seasonal 200-lot RV parking area that did not have any utilities,” Anderson-Cook said. “They’re proposing to upgrade that existing lot to include power drops and water to the RV pads. There’s still no sewer there.”  

    Road crews pave Silica Road at the entrance to the Gorge Amphitheater in 2024. Live Nation, the venue’s owners, will be required to conduct a traffic study during the 2026 concert season.