The new location of Hollywood Casino Aurora is set to host a variety of live performances following its grand opening next month.
The first act, the multi-platinum trio X Ambassadors, is planned to take place at the new Hollywood Casino Aurora event center on July 11, the company announced on Tuesday. Officials said that other acts, from a leading band of the ’70s Southern rock movement to an international stand-up comedian, are planned to follow.
“Hollywood Aurora is thrilled to unveil its initial entertainment lineup featuring world-renowned acts that will headline our stage this summer and beyond, ” Greg Moore, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino Aurora, said in a news release. “The event center at the all-new property is an exciting new feature to attract visitors from across the region to enjoy all that Aurora has to offer.”
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The $360 million casino and resort — located along Farnsworth Avenue and Bilter Road, across the street from Chicago Premium Outlets mall and near the Interstate 88 interchange — will replace the casino currently in downtown Aurora after its grand opening on June 24. It has been under construction since 2023.
Following the X Ambassadors on July 11, the new Hollywood Casino Aurora’s 12,000-square-foot event center will host Lit and Sponge on July 17, The Marshall Tucker Band on Aug. 28 and Ben Bankas on Sept. 6, according to the company’s news release.
“We can’t wait to welcome our first acts to the stage and look forward to the many events to come at the all-new entertainment destination,” Moore said in the release.
Additional live shows are expected to be announced.
Hollywood Casino Aurora officials said that the casino’s stage will offer a steady lineup of entertainment for the city and surrounding community. These first acts, officials said, will set the tone for the type of acts the casino is planning to bring to the region.
A presale for tickets to the events for PENN Play members began May 13, and the public can start purchasing tickets via Ticketmaster on May 15, the news release said. More information on tickets, as well as how to become a PENN Play member, can be found at: hollywoodcasinoaurora.com/entertainment
Beyond concerts and other shows, the event space will also be available for weddings, galas and more, according to the company’s news release.
Since early last year, Hollywood Casino Aurora has been periodically revealing the details about what the new location will offer.
In general, the new land-based casino and resort in Aurora is expected to have 1,200 gaming positions, 226 hotel rooms, a retail sportsbook, an outdoor entertainment area, a full-service spa and a number of bars and restaurants. That’s in addition to the roughly 12,000-square-foot event center with meeting areas, where the recently-announced shows are set to take place.
Like the planned entertainment, the new Hollywood Casino Aurora will offer a variety of dining options.
A large number of these options will be found within the Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, which is being developed in partnership with McClain Camarota Hospitality, the restaurant group of James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain.
Restaurants within the food hall will include Tabo Sushi by James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi, Urbanbelly by renowned Chef Bill Kim, Lucky Goat by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, Antique Taco, Pretty Cool Ice Cream and Five50 Pizza.
Beyond the food hall, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is planning to open an Italian steakhouse called Sorella, which will have outdoor seating and an open kitchen with a menu including fresh pasta, steaks, Roman-style pizza and other Italian dishes.
There is also planned to be a sports bar in the sportsbook, a bar in the casino called the O Bar, an Asian restaurant called Red Lotus and an entertainment bar to be called “& Vine,” officials have said.
In addition to restaurants, it has also been announced that the Hollywood Casino Aurora resort will include the second location of a Pennsylvania-based luxury wellness spa.
Drift Spa, by beauty and wellness entrepreneur Stacey Steffes, is set to offer classic spa experiences along with hair and beauty services. In addition to the services offered at the spa’s first location within the Marriott at Penn Square in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, it will also offer additional services including a “Drift Drybar.”
The city of Aurora is supporting the project through an agreed up-front payment of $50 million
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, to be paid back to the city through a tax increment financing district on the property. The passage of that TIF district was controversial and was opposed by current Mayor John Laesch, who was an alderman at-large on the Aurora City Council at the time.City officials previously said that the incentive was needed to keep the casino in Aurora.