Both venues used to host the summer concert series, the Simon Estes Amphitheater and Brenton Skating Plaza,\u00a0have closed.
Concertgoers will have to wait three more years before taking in another Nitefall on the River show in downtown Des Moines. Both venues used to host the summer concert series, the Simon Estes Amphitheater and Brenton Skating Plaza, are closed, so Nitefall on the River is on pause until their re-openings. Situated along the east bank of the Des Moines River, the intimate amphitheater fell victim to flood damage a few years ago. A two-year, $727,000 project to fix concrete balustrades and repair erosion was completed earlier this year. But surrounding city projects, including reconstruction of the Walnut Street bridge just south of the amphitheater, will make it difficult to host shows there between now and the 2024 summer season, said Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page. «It will be loud and dusty work and it just wouldn’t be a safe environment,» he said. The amphitheater’s original closure in 2019 pushed Nitefall on the River to the nearby Brenton Skating Plaza,520 Robert D.
