New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Bad Bunny concert highlights need for Hartford’s XL Center improvements
Reggaeton star Bad Bunny not only brought 14,000 fans and a financial windfall to Hartford’s XL Center early this month — he also brought 33 trucks of gear. Those trucks had to navigate Asylum Street and the XL Center’s out-of-date loading docks, highlighting the need for a $100-million-plus upgrade of the arena’s infrastructure so it can keep drawing top shows, the facility’s manager said on Thursday. “Logistically, it was difficult but on the other hand, they pulled it off,” said Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, which manages the XL Center. “We’re fighting antiquated electrical systems and elevators and roofs, so that’s a dynamic we’re in, trying to get through it.”
An XL upgrade is especially urgent as UConn seeks state funding for a planned $100 million renovation of Gampel Pavilion on its Storrs campus that could divert games from Hartford. OVG, XL’s operator, has been in talks with UConn on its planned project and its impact on Hartford games, along with promoters seeking modern venues for their shows. With pressure mounting, Freimuth said CRDA is pouring resources into getting XL renovations started despite a failed initial round of bids.
“It’s gotten white-hot and it will be for the next six, eight months,” Freimuth said.
State officials are also working to expand the funding for a comprehensive revamp of the XL Center after the first round of bids for the project came in far above the initial $100 million budget. The current funding allocated for the project can’t accommodate some of the needed improvements, Freimuth said. “We’re walking the line between simply rebuilding the building and trying to build the business,” Freimuth said. “The governor did indicate he gives us a little bit more running room on the budget.” The budget crunch — due to higher construction costs and interest rates — has forced the CRDA to scale back improvements to the loading docks, Freimuth said. “We’re gonna have to try to figure out how to live with that operationally.”
The new plan for the XL renovations is scheduled to go out for bid on May 1, with bids coming in by the end of June.
Big-ticket shows and sports at the XL Center are key to enlivening Hartford’s downtown and sparking continued economic development, Mayor Arunan Arulampalam told the board on Thursday. The city is planning more events around XL shows and games like the successful UConn Men’s Basketball NCAA Championship victory parade on April 13. An estimated 60,000 fans attended the parade in downtown Hartford this year, up from 45,000 at 2023’s event.
The Bad Bunny show at the XL generated nearly $4 million in sales, and along with recent concerts by Andrea Bocelli and Nicky Minaj set new revenue and attendance records for the arena.
“The economic impact of getting XL filled more nights a week and bringing people into our city is I think potentially huge,” Arulampalam said. “People are having a great experience in Hartford and hopefully coming back on days when there aren’t shows or parades and just having a great time in our city.”