Cascades Casino in Kamloops looking to build outdoor event space

KAMLOOPS – The Cascades Casino is moving forward with plans to build an outdoor amphitheatre.

The event space was originally to be constructed along with the casino but concerns over parking put the project on hold. Gateway Casinos CEO Tony Santo said previously, plans would be re-examined after the casino’s hard opening.

“We are committed to creating this event space and are working closely with the City of Kamloops to do that,” Tanya Gabara with Gateway Casinos says.

Gabara says the amphitheatre’s designs are currently tentative. It is entirely possible what is included in the building plans today will change by the time construction is complete.

Gateway plans to build the outdoor theatre, which is described as a backyard patio entertainment space, between the casino and the Costco parking lot.

The amphitheatre will be built on wood decking with a special event VIP bar at the south end and a temporary stage at the other. The deck will be covered by ‘shading leafs,’ or triangular material draped between structural steel columns and fenced in by a glass guard rail.

The VIP space with four cabana style booths, with wood slat shading, and a large bar top. They plan also includes exterior service counters, or roll-up bars, with new bar equipment installed.

Kamloops planning and development supervisor Eric Beach says while the application is in, there is still work to be done.

“The amphitheatre is missing a lot of information,” Beach says. Gateway has included their site plan or blueprints, but still needs to provide a parking study, capacity numbers and information on how the space will be operated.

Beach hopes to bring the application to city council by the end of November, but adds it will depend on how quickly the city receives the missing information from Gateway.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.