Greater Baltimore cultural and sports venues draw nearly $2 billion in upgrades, expansions and redevelopment projects

Large-scale projects reshape the region’s arts, culture and entertainment footprint

Nearly $2 billion in completed and planned investment is moving through Greater Baltimore’s arts, culture, sports and entertainment ecosystem, spanning renovations at major venues, redevelopment of historic sites and the buildout of new creative-production spaces. The total reflects a mix of finished work and projects still in planning or construction pipelines across Baltimore City and surrounding counties.

The investment wave includes marquee facilities that regularly anchor national touring acts and major league events, alongside smaller but strategically significant projects aimed at expanding year-round programming, creating workspace for makers and improving visitor infrastructure.

Stadium and arena upgrades dominate the largest line items

Several of the region’s biggest capital commitments are concentrated in large sports and event venues, where multi-year improvements are designed to expand premium seating options, upgrade technology and modernize fan amenities.

• Oriole Park at Camden Yards is advancing a multi-phase program backed by a financing package not to exceed $135 million in bonds for initial capital projects, including major audio-visual upgrades such as a new center-field videoboard, a right-field wall display and control-room modernization. Work is expected to follow the 2025 season, with new elements planned to be operational in 2026.

• M&T Bank Stadium is undergoing a multi-phase renovation program valued at $430 million, with delivered elements including redesigned club spaces and fan-facing gathering areas, and additional phases focused on plaza and concourse improvements as well as infrastructure work.

• CFG Bank Arena reopened in April 2023 after a $250 million renovation, positioning the venue to host national tours and large-scale events with upgraded concourses, suites and building systems.

Pimlico redevelopment ties cultural identity to construction timelines

A separate centerpiece is the state-backed redevelopment of Pimlico Race Course, a project financed through authorization for $400 million in state bonds. Demolition activity began in July 2025 as part of a broader plan that includes reconstructing Pimlico and developing a new training facility at Shamrock Farm in Carroll County. The Preakness Stakes is scheduled to run at Laurel Park in 2026 during the Pimlico rebuild, with plans for a return to a reconstructed Pimlico in 2027.

Arts institutions, maker spaces and mixed-use projects broaden the definition of “cultural investment”

Beyond the headline venues, the region’s cultural-capital pipeline includes museum reinvestment and new creative campuses. Projects cited in the current investment tally include a planned redevelopment of the Pikesville Armory into an arts and recreation campus; ongoing capital work at the B&O Railroad Museum; a performing arts center project in Columbia; and multiple initiatives aimed at expanding maker and craft-manufacturing space in Baltimore neighborhoods.

The current pipeline blends visitor-facing venues with production and community infrastructure, reflecting a strategy that links cultural programming to workforce space and year-round activity.

Measuring impact: jobs, visitors and public-private financing

While individual project goals vary, the region’s arts and entertainment sector is increasingly framed through measurable outcomes, including visitation, downtown activity and construction-driven economic effects. Separately, statewide reporting on nonprofit arts activity has found significant economic impact and job support in Maryland’s central region, which includes Baltimore City and several surrounding counties—providing a broader economic context for the current construction and redevelopment cycle.