NOW LIVE: A rendering of CHANNEL 24 in Sacramento, which hopes to host 100 shows per year. (Courtesy Another Planet Entertainment)
Stalwart Bay Area concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment is developing a 2,150-capacity venue in downtown Sacramento, the company’s first full venue build, which is already under construction and set to open in Q1 of 2025.
In the works for the past four years, Channel 24, located at 1800 24th Street, will feature a flat GA floor, open-air patio, and balcony level with both reserved seats and multi-tiered standing areas allowing fans views of the action on the floor.
“We are super excited about this, because there’s a hole in the market,” says Allen Scott, Another Planet Entertainment’s president of concerts and festivals. The city’s downtown is home to the 1,000-capacity Ace Of Spades, operated by Live Nation, and Golden 1 Center arena for the Sacramento Kings, but could use a larger club-style venue. “We’ve had so many artists, since we opened 20 years ago want to play Sacramento, but there’s no appropriate size venue for them.”
Channel 24 joins Another Planet’s west coast venue portfolio that includes the Fox Theater in Oakland, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, The Independent and Castro Theatre in San Francisco, and Lake Take Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s. The company is also co-promoter of The Bellwether in Los Angeles, which opened last year in partnership with Michael Swier of Teragram Presents.
The name, Channel 24, pays homage to the building’s former use as an electrical supply warehouse, and has multiple meanings.
“Channel being an electrical term is also is a river reference – Sacramento is a river city,” Scott says. “A 24-channel mixing board is a staple in music and our venue happens to land on 24th street. We had fun with it and love that it has so many hidden meanings.”
As the first property completely developed by Another Planet, Scott says a blank canvas does provide challenges.
“This was a little more daunting because you don’t want to forget something,” Scott says with a laugh. “Building it from the ground up has its own unique set of challenges. It’s probably more difficult than taking an existing space and modernizing it. You’re bringing everything in. We’re moving utility poles and building a truck bay. You just have to think of every little thing.”
On the design and construction side are Palo Alto-based CAW Architects and Sacramento-based Ellis Architects and Mason Builders. Project cost was not disclosed.
Scott says there will be “a lot of bars,” as well as a full kitchen and VIP rooms similar to the offerings at The Bellwether and Fox Theater, which he says are an important profit center for venues.
“It’s an elevated experience and an add-on to your ticket that fans really, really like to take advantage of,” Scott said. He envisions about 100 shows per year at the facility.
With Sacramento growing steadily dating back to the Housing Crisis in 2008 and really ramping up after the opening of Golden 1 Center downtown in 2016, Scott says the appetite from the artist community and local community is huge.
“There’s also artists who play at the Greek or the Bill Graham, who may be really big in the Bay Area but not as big in a secondary market like Sacramento,” he said. “So there will be artists that can do the Greek and then come and play this venue. Production-wise, we’ll be able to accommodate those big touring productions.”
The venue will also house a new Sacramento office for Another Planet, where five or six employees will be based, Scott says. The company currently has offices in Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
As for content, Scott says the goal is varied genres, although Sacramento may have more opportunity for country and rock than the Bay Area in general.
“There’s steel and the foundation is going in this week, so we’re right along schedule,” Scott says.
