Rendering of the South Lawn of Hunter Pavilion (Image courtesy Ravinia Festival)
The Ravinia Festival has announced the beginning of a multi-year $75 million upgrade to its campus, which will begin with an overhaul of the festival’s flagship stage, the Pavilion.
Ravinia‘s Pavilion will be equipped with enhancements to the stage, seating, lighting, and acoustics. Upon the project’s completion in 2026, the stage will be renamed the Hunter Pavilion in recognition of a gift from Maxine and Thomas B. Hunter III. Also to be enhanced are the back-of-house artist areas, which will be renamed in honor of a gift from the Negaunee Foundation.
Work is already underway, the festival shares, and will not delay the beginning of the season, which is expected to be announced next month.
What will be affected, however, is the end of the 2025 season. To allow work to take place in the fall, this year’s festival will conclude early, on August 31. And the 2026 season is slated to begin later than usual, in July, to accommodate the project’s completion.
The newly announced remodel represents the first phase in a multi-year project to update and enhance the festival grounds, all ahead of Ravinia’s 125th anniversary in 2029. Included in the improvements will be enhancements to the Martin Theater and Bennett Gordon Hall and a new outdoor performance space to replace the Carousel Stage.
The project is helmed by Lohan Architecture, which worked with Ravinia multiple times prior, including developing the Ravinia Music Box, Dining Pavilion, and the South Gate. The architects were also involved in the 2003 retrofitting of Soldier Field, the building of Northwestern University’s Block Museum, and the construction of several Chicago Public Library locations.
For more information, visit ravinia.org.
