SELBYVILLE, Del. - The Freeman Arts Pavilion is putting the finishing touches on its new $43 million facility as it prepares to debut its updated look ahead of the 2026 season.
After construction began back in January of 2025, the Freeman Arts Pavilion will transform into a 5-acre campus ready to welcome 4,000 audience members for music and art performances.
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The facility will become a venue featuring lawn, box, and standard chair seating all around.
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There will even be a boardwalk vending area with shops and more that will feature local businesses, something organizers say will help give back to the community.
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The project has been years in the making, according to Michelle Freeman, president of the Freeman Foundation.
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"Every year it's evolved a little bit, it's changed, it's grown," Freeman says.
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Freeman says the venue was redesigned with flexibility in mind and includes newer production equipment that will create a more immersive experience for audiences.
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"We can still allow people to dance on these little lily pads that we built. So it's 19 years of experience with our audience and partnership with our audience, and things that they told us, and comments that they've made that we've listened to and responded to in building this permanent stage," Freeman says.
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Organizers say parking will be available in on-site lots as well as by shuttle service from Johnsons Farm, located about a mile down Route 20.
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Freeman says the pavilion has welcomed around 1.2 million visitors since opening about 20 years ago, and for some like David Doane, they can't wait to return for another concert.
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"They've had acts come in here and brought in kids and the community to see something you'd never see anywhere else; it's wonderful," Doane says.
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After years of planning and construction, the new pavilion is preparing to welcome audiences for its opening act ahead of the 2026 season.
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That opening act will take place Wednesday, July 8, at the pavilion, for a performance from Matteo Bocelli. The pavilion's website says children 12 and under are free to attend and do not need a ticket when sitting in the Lawn section.
