The DMV events landscape may have forever changed Wednesday when Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced a proposed plan for the Capitals and Wizards to leave D.C. and relocate to a brand new, 70-acre location in Alexandria, Virginia.
The new sports arena would simultaneously provide a new venue for music headliners similar to Capital One Arena, where I personally enjoyed seeing such artists as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Paul Simon and U2.
“We’re really excited about the whole entertainment district around the MSE campus at Potomac Yard,” President of Venues Jordan Silberman told WTOP. “Not only will we have a world-class arena that will be the home of the Capitals and Wizards, but also home to live entertainment, not dissimilar to what we have at Capital One Arena. … We will get every major act coming to the market and it will only continue to expand.”
Adjacent to that will also be a separate, 6,000-seat concert venue and performing arts center.
“We’re able to celebrate all types of arts in that space … having the ability to grow talent and play that facility, then eventually graduate up to the [arena] in Potomac Yard,” Silberman said. “We envision a 6,000-seat facility having the ability to flex outside into a fan plaza [with] people flowing back and forth between both facilities, a band that would host a pregame concert for fans in that plaza and really flow into the whole entertainment district.”
That entertainment district would be located near Amazon’s new HQ2 development in the National Landing area, which can be accessed by the newly-opened Potomac Yard Metro station.
“This is such a tech-focused hub, especially with Amazon HQ2 there and what is being opened with Virginia Tech’s innovation campus,” Silberman said. “We’re excited about that partnership. We think there’s a lot of opportunity and crossover between sports and technology. … The Potomac Yard Metro station will drop folks off right at the front entrance to the entertainment district with the new arena and concert venue.”
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Meanwhile, Monumental still aims to keep some concerts going at Capital One Arena in D.C.
“We would still love to work with the city to manage and host events at Capital One Arena,” Silberman said. “We still see ourselves in the picture for D.C. for a long time and think we’ll be integral in the redevelopment of the downtown D.C. area. … Holding dates for the NBA and NHL, there are often times where we cannot hold an event, so the opportunity to be able to flex between the various facilities … is what’s so unique.”
The groundbreaking is planned for 2025 with the goal of opening for events in the 2028-2029 season.
“My wife always told me that she married me to be able to meet Dave Matthews, so to be able to deliver on that wish of hers in December 2018 was pretty special. … I’m so excited for the opportunity to bring Dave and all of my other favorite artists over to Potomac Yard. … The favorite concert I’ve ever gotten to work on was Red Hot Chili Peppers. … To do that not only at Capital One but also in Potomac Yard, that’s what really excites me.”
