Is Gatton Park Too Costly for Lexington Performers?

A New Park with Big Dreams and Big Challenges

Since its opening in August, Gatton Park on the Town Branch has become a hub for community activities. From fitness events to family movie nights and holiday celebrations featuring decorative lights and an 80-foot Christmas tree, the park has welcomed residents with open arms. However, one area that has not seen much activity is live music performances. This has led some local artists and organizations to express concerns about whether the park will be accessible for smaller, community-based acts.

Mélisse Brunet, music director for the Lexington Philharmonic, voiced her frustrations in a December 4 Facebook post that quickly gained attention online. She highlighted the high costs associated with booking the stage at the park, which she claimed could reach up to $40,000 when factoring in security, setup, ticketing, and other expenses. "My dream was that the Lexington Philharmonic could provide at least one free concert a year in that park for our community," Brunet wrote. "Instead, the park is only affordable for big touring companies."

Her post sparked a wave of comments from locals who shared similar concerns about the park's accessibility for local performers. Despite these challenges, both the Lexington Philharmonic and Gatton Park have expressed a commitment to working together to bring arts programming to the new downtown space.

A Collaborative Effort

In a joint statement released on December 6, the two organizations emphasized their ongoing conversations about potential future programming at the park. "Our organizations have been in active conversations about potential future programming at the park, and LexPhil appreciates Gatton Park's ongoing efforts to create an arts-friendly space that supports local organizations and community access," the statement read.

Gatton Park, which is privately operated by a nonprofit board, opened this summer after years of fundraising and construction. The park was developed through one of the largest fundraising campaigns in the city’s history, raising $55 million to transform a former parking lot near Rupp Arena into a 12-acre green space.

One of the park's most notable features is the 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater known as the CommonSpirit Health Stage. The venue hosted several local musicians during its grand opening in August and later featured a performance by the Beach Boys in September.

Understanding the Costs

The $15,000 rental fee mentioned by Brunet in her post came from a preliminary estimate provided by park staff, according to Gatton Park CEO Allison Lankford and Lexington Philharmonic Executive Director Brooke Raby. They explained that the philharmonic had shared ideas about the types of shows they wanted to host, and the park staff provided some initial figures.

"Based upon our grand opening and other things, we sent them a couple of numbers," Lankford told the Herald-Leader. "In the correspondence … we said, ‘this is a very rough estimate. If anything, we think this is high.'"

Currently, Gatton Park does not have a flat rate for using the stage. Since the park is still figuring out the logistics of hosting performances, costs have been determined on a case-by-case basis, Lankford said. Raby added that discussions with the park have been productive and ongoing, emphasizing the need for multiple conversations to align goals and capacities.

Partnerships and Future Plans

Gatton Park partners with Oak View Group to book performances at the park. This company also manages bookings for Rupp Arena and the Lexington Opera House. While the park primarily works directly with local arts groups like the philharmonic, it is clear that collaboration is key to making the space accessible for all.

Public reaction to the issue highlights a long-standing challenge for performing groups in Lexington: accessing affordable and suitable venues. Heather Lyons, former director of arts and cultural affairs for the city, noted that the issue has been a significant barrier for local organizations for decades.

"There are few venues that can serve the needs of groups perfectly," Lyons said. "Some were designed specifically for music performances, so dance groups cannot effectively use those stages, for example. Other spaces are designed well for dance and theater, but seat very limited numbers of people."

Funding and Accessibility

Lyons stressed the importance of ensuring that new arts spaces are designed with input from local groups and that funding models support affordability. She pointed to examples like the Opera House Fund, which provides grants for local groups that cannot afford to perform at the Lexington Opera House. She believes similar grant pools could be established at new and existing venues with support from the community.

Lankford acknowledged that Gatton Park is committed to making the space as affordable as possible for nonprofit organizations. "We would love nothing more than to completely offer that space to our local arts community for free," she said. "Right now, that's not possible. We absolutely want to make it work for the philharmonic, so let's do everything we can to make it accessible and affordable."

Raby remains optimistic about the future of the partnership between the Lexington Philharmonic and Gatton Park. "We all have a responsibility to channel passion (for the arts) into partnerships with everybody - all the venues and all the organizations," she said. "The only way that we can all make this happen is together."