The Wait Is Over: Minnesota’s New Amphitheater Finally Announces Its First Concerts

The one type of venue that the Twin Cities, and Minnesota as a whole, lacked for many years was a premiere outdoor amphitheater. That long drought ends next year with the opening of the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater.

The Largest Outdoor Venue in Minnesota

The new 19,000-person amphitheater is part of the massive $400 million Canterbury Commons development project in Shakopee. Once open, it will be the largest outdoor amphitheater in the state and is expected by many to set a new standard for live outdoor events in Minnesota.

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The venue will be operated by Live Nation, and the naming rights were purchased by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), which operates the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. Construction is already underway, and the amphitheater is expected to open for the Summer 2026 concert season.

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First Shows Announced: Pop and Heavy Metal Collide

The first two shows were just announced, and they couldn’t be more different. The Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer will bring their Everyone’s A Star World Tour to the new venue on July 22, 2026. Presale begins next week, with the general onsale shortly after.

5SOS rose to fame in the mid-2010s with hits like Youngblood and She Looks So Perfect, and they remain the first Australian act to have their first three full-length albums debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

For something louder, Iron Maiden will bring their Run For Your Lives World Tour to Mystic Lake Amphitheater on September 19, 2026, joined by another metal legend, Megadeth. I can't be 100% sure that this is true, as the band is older than I am, but this is most likely their first outdoor concert in the state in their 50-year history.

With more concert announcements coming in the weeks and months ahead, the countdown to a new era of live music in Minnesota has officially begun.