A Big New Event Center & Amphitheater Has Opened in the Corridor

It's official! The Hy-Vee Center at Centennial Park in North Liberty has been completed and is now ready to begin hosting events!

The Grand Opening

The official ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for the new Hy-Vee Center at Centennial Park took place on the morning of Tuesday, October 21st. You can check out a video recap of the celebration and take a peek inside the new building HERE.

The Hy-Vee Center

Construction on the new Hy-Vee Center at Centennial Park began in the summer of 2024 and will serve as an event venue for the city of North Liberty. In addition to public events, the center can also be booked for private events, like weddings, business meetings, parties, family reunions, fundraisers, and more. Some of the features include "a catering prep kitchen, two private dressing rooms, modern audio-visual equipment, and built-in colored accent lighting." The website adds that "the event space is 5,000 square feet and designed to accommodate up to a 500-person event."

The Amphitheater

Located at the south end of the Hy-Vee Center, the new outdoor amphitheater features a 2,700-square-foot stage, complete with an arched roof, plus restroom access and a concession window. The venue is expected to host all sorts of live performances in 2026, including comedy shows, concerts, local recitals, movies, and more. The website says:

"The stage lineup will be a carefully curated mix of free and ticketed performances to provide arts access to all residents and visitors. One larger, ticketed event per month, and dozens of smaller non-ticketed events, annually from May to September are expected."

What's Next?

According to the Facebook page for the grand opening, this marks the completion of "Phase 1" of construction at Centennial Park, with four total phases set to be finished by 2030. Here are details on the next three phases of construction, courtesy of North Liberty's city website:

• Phase 2
  • A 5,000-square-foot splash pad with LED lighting
  • An expanded playground with wheelchair-accessible play units
  • A picnic shelter
  • Shade structures
  • Additional restrooms
  • Expanded parking
• Phase 3
  • Expansive plaza space and an open-air pavilion, which will be the home of an outdoor ice skating rink
• Phase 4
  • An honor garden that can host small ceremonies
  • Additional parking

You can read more about all of the plans for Centennial Park HERE.

Upcoming Events

There are already a couple of events scheduled to take place at the new venue, with the first coming up this Friday, October 24th. The Grave Rave is an adult Halloween party for ages 21+, complete with comedic tarot readings, aerial performances, a photo booth, a costume contest, drinks, a "spooky charcuterie spread," and live music from the Trophy Dads. Tickets are almost sold out, so get yours ASAP online HERE.

The other upcoming event at the venue is the Kraken’s Circus on Sunday, November 9th. The "45-minute swashbuckling show" features rope tricks, knife juggling, aerial stunts, and more, "as attendees get involved to help pirates defeat the Kraken." There are two different show times for Kraken's Circus - 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. It's geared towards ages 2 to 12 and is free to attend. You can get more information on the performances HERE.

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