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The Dome returns: A familiar name returns to Virginia Beach's Atlantic Park project

The Dome is just one part of the Atlantic Park project, which covers multiple blocks on Pacific Avenue and will also include a surf park.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The latest addition to the Virginia Beach community's entertainment landscape is progressing to final stages of construction as part of the greater Atlantic Park project. And it has a name that may be familiar to many long-time residents and visitors: The Dome.

The live performance venue is owned by the City of Virginia Beach and operated in partnership with Live Nation. To support the venue, Live Nation says it will create more than 200 jobs with base pay starting at $20 an hour for all staff. It's also expected to host over 3,000 people for events.

"When big acts are booked, hopefully, these big acts want to eat here. So, how can you not feel excited about it," said Kip Poole, a well-known local restaurateur who just opened Yorkies Modern Deli in the ViBe Creative District, two blocks away from the Dome site. 

After the city said The Dome is nearing completion on Friday, Live Nation announced Papa Roach and Rise Against will be coming to it in September of 2025. The venue is expected to open in the spring of 2025, so additional live acts are expected to be announced in the coming months. Other portions of the Atlantic Park project, including the large wave pool anchoring the complex, will not be completed at the same time as the Dome portion of the project. 

The Dome is just one part of the Atlantic Park project, which has seen gradual progress but has also required additional financing from the city to account for rising construction costs from the COVID-19 pandemic. As recently as 2021 and 2023, the city council has voted to financially allocate resources to the project. 

"The money to fund this project is not coming out of the general fund, it's the tip fund from amusement taxes. But once again, once we get it open this thing will be an iconic game changer at the Oceanfront," Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer told media on Friday.

The site started as the Virginia Beach Civic Center, better known as "The Dome" in the 1950s, but was torn down in 1994. The site had remained vacant until work on the Atlantic Park project began last year.

"The Dome will quickly become a go-to destination for music, comedy, and special events, all while paying homage to the legacy of the original Dome, a celebrated home for jazz, soul and rock ‘n’ roll," Dyer added. 

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