Construction of Fredericton’s new performing arts is set to be finished by summer of next year, with a series of smaller events leading to a grand opening later that fall. Tim Yerxa, executive director of the Fredericton Playhouse, gave an update on progress of the Ron and Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts at Tuesday’s regular city council meeting. Yerxa said construction at the new performing arts centre was 44 per cent complete. “We got another year to go and there’s a lot of work to do, but we’re meeting our milestones,” said Yerxa. “We’re watching it very carefully. There’s a lot of people with a lot of eyeballs on the project.” Yerxa also said the project’s budget had stayed steady at $111.2 million, after an update in early 2025 saw the figure rise from $81.7 million. By the end of this summer, all of the centre’s exterior bricks, finishes and windows should be installed. The Fredericton Playhouse, which will be replaced by the new performing arts centre one block over, is expected to host its final show in June 2027. Events at the Ron and Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts will begin shortly after that, leading to an 11-day grand opening festival in early fall 2027. The new performing arts centre will feature two different stages: a main stage with seats for 850 people and a smaller theatre with seats for 300 people. At 72,000 square-feet, the new building will be twice the size of The Playhouse. Yerxa’s update on the new performance centre was given at the final regular council meeting for outgoing Mayor Kate Rogers, a longtime advocate for the project. “This was a hard-won project,” said Rogers. “As we all know, those of us who’ve been at this table and previous tables, a hard one to keep this afloat.” Rogers said there was pressure to eliminate space for the smaller theatre to save money and was glad city councillors didn’t go in that direction. “As we looked at the critics of (the new performance arts centre) saying it was not going to be accessible for groups… that space is what’s making it accessible,” she said. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
