Zumwalt Park’s Adventist Health amphitheater opens for concerts, events and increased foot traffic downtown
By Jeff Wisser
The recent opening of the new outdoor amphitheater is music to the ears of residents looking to catch a few concerts in downtown Tulare as well as nearby businesses eager to see an increase in downtown foot traffic.
Adventist Health Tulare Amphitheatre in Zumwalt Park is part of a larger renovation of the park, which also includes a new playground and splash pad, that is expected to draw as many as 50,000 visitors to downtown annually. The amphitheater project was able to open in time for the October 26 concert featuring country luminaries Clay Walker, RaeLynn and Canaan Smith. Other acts scheduled for the outdoor venue include Buckcherry and Living Color sharing a bill on November 2; Lou Gramm and Asia on a double bill on November 9; and RAD Music Fest set for Spring 2025. Other events, including those themed to holidays are on tap, and additional concerts are sure to be added.
“We’ll do classic rock, and we’ll do ’80s, but we’ll also do jazz and throw in some R&B,” said Todd Speelman, owner and lead producer for Sacramento-based Spade Entertainment, the organization contracted by the city to organize and arrange amphitheater entertainment, and to handle production and marketing for the venue. “And we’ll mix in some other events too, so it’s not just concerts that we’re planning on doing – we’re working on some Halloween events and some Christmas events and trying to pull those together for next year.”
For Speelman and Spade Entertainment, the key is to provide something for every taste. “I just want to make sure that we have a good mix of genres and that we’re covering all ages throughout the year, so we have something for everybody,” Speelman said. “And then it’s about who’s touring, so, right now, we’re just putting in place who’s touring in 2025.”
While the amphitheater can hold up to 6,000 concertgoers, Speelman sees a niche for shows drawing between 3,000 and 4,000 attendees.
“I think that’s really the sweet spot right now,” he explained, “because you have to keep ticket prices low, and you can’t charge all those crazy fees that all these places are charging.”
And, he adds, you have to offer customers value and something special for their money.
“One of the things we’d like to do is look at everything through the eyes of the ticket holder,” Speelman said.
Toward that end, the new venue offers VIP areas, including a spot just off the stage, as well as VIP boxes. But, he adds, “you can also bring a low-back chair, or you can bring a blanket, and you can just chill in the grass, where there’s lots of shade. And there’s a misting system built into the venue for hot days.”
The Adventist Health Tulare Amphitheatre in Zumwalt Park also offers special amenities for touring acts to draw performers to the venue. Easy stage access to facilitate bringing in equipment and setting up the performance space is one such draw, as is the venue’s production team and a brand-new backstage green room for performers and their guests.
“It’s already getting good traction with the artists,” Speelman said, “and, well, it really should.”
The amphitheater, Speelman assures, offers plenty of nearby downtown parking. He also stressed that the project has been underwritten using COVID-19 disaster relief funds rather than local taxpayers’ dollars.
“I’m just excited that the City has really just stepped up and done the right thing,” Speelman said, “and we’ve had really good support from the business community.”
This is an exciting step-forward for the downtown revitalization project and a great opportunity for local businesses to appeal to a broader audience among the concertgoers.
