"Everybody is asking when the project's going to start," Planning Board member Keith Lessard said on Oct. 7. The Casino redevelopment team was packing up after the board had just given it another year. CNHI reported that nobody answered, and Lessard added, "I guess there was no answer to that."
Hampton heads into winter with that question still open. The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom has two shows left in its 99th season, and then it closes for the winter. When it reopens next June, it starts its 100th season. Its owners have said construction will likely wait until at least after that summer. The town's most recent vote moved the developers' deadline to November 2027. The latest schedule has the Ballroom open for all of 2027, and nobody has said when it would close for good.
The Last Two Nights of 2026
This week, the Ballroom's calendar has two dates left this year:
- Friday, Nov. 20: Greensky Bluegrass, on its Fall 2026 Tour. The calendar still showed a ticket link in early November.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Mitchell Tenpenny, on the Speed of Light Tour. This show is already sold out.
The first week of November was busier. Corrosion of Conformity and The Sword played Nov. 4, Clutch played Nov. 5, BEAT played the music of King Crimson Nov. 7, and John Mulaney had a sold-out show Nov. 8. After the Tenpenny show, the next date on the calendar is in June.
A Six-Month Gap on the Calendar
The Ballroom's FAQ page says the box office closes for the off-season from December through February. In the rest of the year, it's generally open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on show days. The venue suggests calling 603-929-4100 before you go.
When the calendar starts again, these are the first 2027 shows:
| Date | Show | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, June 5, 2027 | Our Last Night, The Covers Only Tour Part 2 | 8 p.m., $39.50 |
| Sunday, June 6, 2027 | Our Last Night, The Covers Only Tour Part 2 | 7:30 p.m., $39.50 |
| Saturday, June 19, 2027 | Voyage, Celebrating the Music of Journey | 8 p.m., reserved seats $28 to $48 |
These 2027 shows are the newest piece of a timeline that has already moved twice.
How the Start Date Kept Moving
The redevelopment was supposed to start sooner. Here's how the schedule changed over the past year.
- Nov. 5, 2025: The Hampton Planning Board unanimously approved the Casino site plan, with conditions. The applicant said construction could begin after the following summer if things went smoothly. It also said the work would take about three years, with the whole site demolished at once. According to CNHI, the project was originally expected to begin after the 2026 Hampton Beach Seafood Festival.
- February 2026: The Portsmouth Herald, republished by NHPR, reported that redevelopment was now expected to begin after the 2027 summer season, so the Ballroom could reach its 100th season. "We've got 99 seasons, but this ain't the last one," marketing director Andrew Herrick said in the press release announcing the 2026 lineup.
- Oct. 7, 2026: The Planning Board unanimously extended the deadline to meet the 44 conditions attached to its approval. The old deadline was Nov. 5, 2026, and the new one is November 2027. Seacoast Online reported the extra year on Oct. 15.
The Ballroom's own wording in that February release went further than the owners'. It said the venue "will definitely be here for 2027, our 100th anniversary year and beyond." The owners, including majority owner Sal Lupoli and part owner Fred Schaake, put construction at "at least" after the 2027 summer season. Neither statement makes 2027 the last summer.
What the Extension Changes and What It Doesn't
The October vote gives the developers more time. It doesn't set a schedule. Morgan Pierson, senior vice president of real estate and development at Lupoli Companies, wouldn't give a construction start date. He told the board the extension should not be read as a delay. "The recording of this decision does not impact the effort we are making to progress this redevelopment, nor does it influence the design and construction timeline," he said, according to CNHI. He said the company would share a "definitive update on the project timeline" when it has one.
Town Planner Jason Bachand recommended the extension because the project is so complex. "They have been working diligently since basically the day after you granted that conditional approval," he told the board. He also said the extension does not change the project's original three-year window to begin construction.
CNHI reported that no building permits can be issued until the conditions are met and the approved site plan is recorded at the registry of deeds. The work behind those conditions includes:
- Sign-offs from Hampton's fire and public works departments, the town planner and the Planning Board's engineering consultant
- Public Works permits for driveways, sewer connections and excavation
- Unitil's final electrical design
- Coordination with Hampton police and Aquarion Water Company
The project also connects to state work on Ocean Boulevard. Hampton's July 13, 2026 Select Board minutes record that the town manager and the Parks and DPW director met with the NHDOT commissioner. They discussed the Casino redevelopment along with the Route 1A and sidewalk reconstruction, and long-term sidewalk maintenance was still unresolved.
What Would Replace the Ballroom
The approved plan calls for demolishing the current Casino complex and building:
| Component | Planned size |
|---|---|
| Music and entertainment venue | 3,500 capacity |
| Hotel | 208 rooms |
| Luxury condominiums | 99 units |
| Charitable gaming facility | 52,000 square feet |
| Retail and restaurant space | 38,500 square feet |
| Parking garage | 732 spaces |
Hampton wouldn't lose live music on the beachfront. The new venue is listed at 3,500 seats in the Planning Board minutes from the 2025 approval, where CNHI describes it as a larger concert venue. But the 2025 projections had demolition happening all at once and construction running about three years. If that's how it goes, the town would have no Casino stage for several summers between the last show in the current building and the first show in the new one.
The 100th Season Has a Date. The Final Curtain Does Not.
This winter's break looks like any other off-season. The box office closes after the Tenpenny show and the calendar picks up in June. The 2027 season is the Ballroom's 100th, and the Ballroom has said it will be open that year. The town has given the developers until November 2027 to finish their conditions. The developers have said they'll announce a timeline when they have one.
If you live in Hampton, these are the dates to keep track of. Greensky Bluegrass plays Nov. 20, Tenpenny closes the season Nov. 21, the 100th season opens June 5, and the conditions deadline falls in November 2027. When the start date comes out, it will be the first date set by the developers rather than the town or the venue.
If you own near Ocean Boulevard and want to talk through how a multi-year project a few blocks from your home could affect your own plans, Marc Ouellet Realty Group can go through the Casino timeline with you as each new date is set. Schedule a consultation whenever you're ready.
