Crescent Ballroom Debuts New Double-Decker Outdoor Patio

Been by the Crescent Ballroom lately for drink or a show? You might’ve noticed a big change being made to its entrance and exterior.

More specifically, the outdoor patio in front of the downtown Phoenix music venue now sports a brand-new second level. It’s been under construction for the last month or so and opens to the public this weekend.

The newly built addition, which measures more than 600 square feet, essentially doubles the patio space at the Crescent, thus allowing twice the amount of patrons than chance to chill out before, during, and after shows.

And according to Crescent Ballroom owner Charlie Levy, it will offers better views of downtown, which is one of the reasons it was created.

“If you ever sit on the patio at the Crescent and look up, it’s got such a great view of downtown,” Levy says. “So the thought was, if we could go and build a second level on the patio, the view would be even better.”

Patrons will also get better views of outdoor concerts taking place in front of the venue along Second Avenue during special events like Viva Phoenix or Los Dias De La Crescent.

“We always like to do special events and [Second Avenue] is a great spot for us,” Levy says. “So obviously, the next time we have such an event and a band playing out there, being on the patio is going to be a great place to see the show.”

The upper level of the patio will also become a venue itself on certain nights as Levy says it will occasionally host gigs by musicians and performance troupes like Flamenco Por La Vida.

Another benefit of adding a second level, Levy says, is that it essentially creates a covered patio on the ground level.

“People in Arizona, especially Phoenix, really love to be outdoors and this obviously gives us more patio space,” Levy says. “And the effect of making the second level is also that we now have a covered patio space on the bottom so during lunches or when its a bit warm outside, its now all shaded.”

Personally, Levy is eager to use the patio himself.

“I'm excited about the patio. I personally can't wait just to hang out up there,” he says. “It's one of those things that came about through how we always work. We ask, ‘What do we want? What would be fun for us? Oh, a bigger patio would be great.’ That's kind of how it works around here.”