Dear Sedona Community,
I’m reaching out to personally invite you to attend the upcoming City Council meeting on April 28th, where the City will present the results of its survey on the future of the Sedona Cultural Park and amphitheater.
Right now, the City is looking at survey data on the Amphitheater. But the numbers don’t tell the full story.
People do.
What gets decided here has the potential to directly impact our businesses, our employees, and the long term stability of Sedona’s economy.
This affects all of us.
• • •
The reality is, an active amphitheater isn’t about one off events. It’s about creating consistent, planned visitation.
When concerts and events are announced, people don’t just show up. They plan ahead. They book rooms, make dinner reservations, schedule tours, and shop locally, often weeks or even months in advance.
That kind of demand gives all of us something we don’t always have enough of…
predictability.
It helps fill the slower summer months and winter dips and creates a steadier flow of business instead of the constant ups and downs.
And it’s not just about revenue, it’s about people.
More consistent visitation means more reliable hours for employees, more stable income for families, less seasonal stress, and a better chance to hire and keep great people.
If we want a strong workforce in Sedona, we need to support the things that support them.
When business becomes more consistent, everything grows.
Restaurants stay busier, shops see more traffic, tours book further out, and new businesses have a reason to open and invest here.
This is how healthy economies grow.
Steady. Sustainable. Reliable.
There’s another piece to this that matters just as much.
👨👩👧👦 The Heart of This
A stronger, more consistent economy is one of the key things that helps bring young families back to Sedona.
When parents can count on steady work, reliable income, and year round opportunity, they’re far more likely to stay, put down roots, and raise their kids here.
It also creates a true community gathering place with things for families to actually do together. When there are concerts, events, and shared experiences, it gives parents and kids a reason to get out, connect, and enjoy where they live.
That kind of lifestyle matters. It adds energy, culture, and a sense of belonging, which makes Sedona feel like a place to build a life, not just a place people visit.
That means more families living and working locally, more kids in our schools, and a stronger, more balanced community long term.
Right now, we all know that’s a challenge. This is one of the ways we start to change that.
• • •
⚠ IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
There’s also something really important to understand about this vote in front of City Council.
This vote does NOT mean the amphitheater is automatically moving forward.
It simply allows SCP 2.0 to bring in experienced music industry professionals to gather real data, build a proforma, and complete a true feasibility study. That information would then come back to Council before any final decision is ever made.
In other words, this is about getting the facts first.
And honestly… why would we not want that information?
It would be irresponsible not to fully understand what we have in this cultural asset before making a decision that could permanently remove it.
Here’s Where You Come In
This part really matters.
⏰ Mark Your Calendar
Tuesday
April 28
4:30 PM
📍 SEDONA CITY HALL
Please be there. Your presence matters more than you know.
If you can attend the meeting, please do.
When you arrive, you’ll have the opportunity to speak for up to three minutes. But you don’t need three minutes.
You can simply walk up and say:
“I’m a member of the Sedona community, and I support the amphitheater”
…and sit back down.
That’s it.
It might feel small, but it carries real weight. Far more than emails or social media. It shows the Council that the people who live and work here see the value in this.
CAN’T ATTEND?
Please still make your voice heard.
At the very least, take a moment to email the City Council, include your name, your role, and that you support the amphitheater:
✉️ One click, one message — reaches every Council member at once.
👉 CLICK HERE TO EMAIL THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL
This link contacts all Council members in a single message.
Your presence or even a simple email helps show that the Sedona community understands what’s at stake, not just for today, but for the future of our workforce, our families, and our local economy.
The first step is allowing the proforma to be created and presented to the city and then if it makes good business sense, the renovation of the amphitheater would follow using music industry donations.
From there, we can build a thoughtful, sustainable model that benefits the entire community.
• • •
I hope you’ll join us Tuesday, April 28th at 4:30 PM at Sedona City Hall.
And if you’re willing to speak, even briefly, it truly makes a difference.
We all depend on this town.
This is one of those moments where showing up truly matters.
Warm regards,
| Jennifer May Board Member • SCP 2.0 |
3 Comments
Well you have some good points, but………………………….Do you want extra traffic? You want hotels and Air B&Bs filled more? So where do all these new workers live?
This is where it never adds up to me? 5,000 people means another 2,500 cars on our streets? Are you going to add full public transportation to get there and back?
Without a complete and thorough plan, clear cut and set into place. I SAY NO! And I love live music!
Dave, I hear you on this — those are good thoughts to consider.
But a couple things that might help connect the dots a little better:
First, it’s not 5,000 people showing up all at once in 2,500 cars driving through town at the same time. That’s just not how events work in reality.
A big portion of attendees are already here, they’re visitors who have booked hotels weeks or months in advance. Those cars are already in Sedona, they’re not new traffic being added that night.
For the rest, there are real solutions that don’t require reinventing the wheel:
• The City already owns large parcels like the Dells specifically suited for remote parking
• Shuttle systems are used everywhere for events like this, it’s not hypothetical, it’s standard practice
• Evening events naturally spread arrival times out, not everyone shows up at once
Second, on the workforce question, this is actually where the amphitheater helps, not hurts.
Right now the bigger issue isn’t just housing, it’s inconsistent income. Every summer and parts of winter, hours get cut across hospitality, retail, restaurants… people leave because they can’t make it through those slow periods.
This does two important things:
• It brings business during those slower months, which keeps people employed more consistently
• It creates tax revenue that can actually be directed toward building out more workforce housing
So it’s not amphitheater instead of housing… it’s one of the few tools that can actually help fund it while also helping people stay employed year round.
And lastly, the City owns the property, which means they control how many events happen, when they happen, and how they’re managed. This isn’t a free for all. It can be done thoughtfully and at a scale that makes sense for Sedona.
Totally agree with you on one thing though, it does need a real plan. That’s exactly what we’re asking the City to allow… the chance to actually build that plan with music professionals before making a final decision.
The amphitheater was already tried as a music venue designed to bring in jobs and steady income. AND IT FAILED! As Mr Dave stated, “where would all these “New Workers” live exactly? And don’t even try stating Cottonwood, Cornville or Flag because they don’t have available affordable employee housing either. This is a bad argument for very short term profits and a second ultimate failure of a music venue that is oversized and unsustainable.