San Diego is about to get a new place to see live music.

Live Nation has announced plans to transform the historic Wonder Bread Building in downtown San Diego’s East Village into a 4,000-capacity concert venue, with an expected opening in 2028. The project could give the city something its live music scene has been missing for years: a room that sits comfortably between intimate clubs and major arenas.

For music fans, that means another option for seeing artists at a scale that feels bigger than a club but more intimate than an arena. For touring artists, it means a new San Diego stop for shows that may not fit the city’s existing venue lineup.

And for Latin music, which continues to bring some of the biggest tours and fastest-growing audiences to Southern California, the new venue could become an important addition to the region’s concert circuit.

A new size for San Diego concerts

San Diego already has venues for intimate shows and large-scale productions, but there is a noticeable gap in between. The new Wonder Bread venue is designed specifically to occupy that space.

At approximately 4,000 capacity, the room could accommodate artists who have outgrown smaller clubs while remaining too early in their touring cycle for arenas. That includes a wide range of artists across Latin pop, regional Mexican, música urbana, rock en español and alternative music.

For fans, the difference is simple: more artists could have a reason to add San Diego to their tour schedule.

The venue will also be designed specifically around live performance, with modern production capabilities, acoustics, sightlines and backstage areas incorporated into the historic structure.

A historic building gets a second life

The venue won’t be built by tearing down the Wonder Bread Building. Instead, Live Nation plans to restore and adapt the historic property, preserving some of the architectural details that have made the building a recognizable part of San Diego’s East Village.

The building at 171 14th Street has a history stretching back decades and was constructed in several phases using brick, steel, wood and concrete. It was renovated and seismically retrofitted in 2008 and currently houses Mission Brewery.

The project will preserve the building’s distinctive historic façade while restoring its historic silo and recovering its earliest brick façade, which has been covered over with concrete.

The design is being developed by Blueprint Studio, Live Nation’s in-house design team, and Gensler, with the goal of turning the existing structure into a modern concert space without losing the character of the original building.

“We have always believed in the importance of honoring the history of this building,” said Megan Heine and Torrey Lee, whose family has owned the property for many years. “We agreed to support this vision because it respects what makes this place special while giving it a new purpose that will serve the community for generations to come.”

The location is another major part of the project.

The Wonder Bread Building sits in the East Village, close to Petco Park, the Gaslamp Quarter, restaurants, bars, hotels and public transportation, putting the venue within an established downtown entertainment district.

That could make it particularly appealing for touring artists looking to build a full night around a San Diego performance.

Live Nation’s John Schalk, Vice President of the San Diego market, says the goal is to bring a broader range of touring artists to the city.

“We’ve been missing a venue of this size, and this project will help attract a broader range of touring artists, bring more shows to the region, and contribute to the continued growth and energy of downtown,” Schalk said.

That missing capacity has become increasingly relevant as Latin music tours continue to expand. Artists who can sell thousands of tickets but aren’t necessarily ready for an arena often have limited options when routing through San Diego. A 4,000-capacity room gives promoters another tool for bringing those artists to the city.

The Wonder Bread Building’s next chapter is expected to begin in 2028.