The changing Conway Riverwalk expands with new event space coming this fall

Downtown Conway residents can expect a brand new amphitheater, officially titled The Terrace, to be completed in the next few months.

The new space, developed by Benton Concrete & Utilities, will accommodate events put on by the City of Conway such as movie screenings, live music, and performing arts events.

While there is no tentative deadline for the project, the City of Conway is shooting for September and is working with a budget under $200,000.

While an exact deadline has not been announced, the City of Conway is planning to put on the amphitheater’s first event will be held in October, and will feature two movie screenings, according to Adam Emrick, Conway’s city administrator.

One of Conway’s main attractions and contributor to its recent growth is the waterfront, which hosts a popular one-and-a-half-mile-long Riverwalk. The amphitheater is part of an ongoing effort by the City of Conway in partnership with local businesses to make use of its unused spaces in order to make the City more walkable and accessible.

“By creating this public space with a very intentional purpose, it will help pedestrians walk to our areas of the riverfront to the downtown more comfortably,” Emrick said.

The space will have a stage for events and performing arts, and is designed to project video as well for public screenings of movies. While the purpose of the space will be for movies, live music, and performances, the lot can also be used as general park space when nothing is scheduled, according to the City of Conway.

The lot should accommodate up to 100 people, and will have a green space where people can bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on.

Residents can look forward to The Terrace’s first programs in October, and will likely feature two movies. Other details about the first events are not yet announced.

The space will be located at 110 Laurel St., near the Historic Peanut Warehouse, and the Riverwalk.

In February, the City of Conway rejected a rezoning request for a rumored, much larger concert stage after residents made it clear they did not want the traffic congestion and noise disturbance associated with it. However, residents expressed support for a smaller event space during the recent Downtown Master Plan meetings.