Ever since it opened in 1986, the Xfinity Center has undergone a number of changes, from basic upkeep to expanded seating to a series of name changes that hasn’t stopped many locals from continuing to call it Great Woods a full quarter of a century after that name was retired. This winter, the 24,212-capacity Mansfield amphitheater is set to undergo one of the largest renovations in its history, according to the Xfinity Center’s general manager, Jason Sandoval.

Sandoval — who has been GM for the Xfinity Center for five years and oversees a seasonal staff of more than 800 people including 26 departmental managers — says it’s purely coincidental that the renovations, which have been in the planning stages for years, will align with the venue’s 40th anniversary. “There’s so many different elements that go into a project of this size,” he said via video call. “It’s taken a couple of years to bring everything to market, so to speak, and get everything prepared to be able to accomplish this in the off-season.”

The renovations are already underway, starting almost immediately as country singer Lainey Wilson closed out the 2025 season on Oct. 11. (“We had our last show on a Saturday and work started that next Monday,” said Sandoval.) The updates aim to cover both the physical and sonic experience of concertgoing. Sandoval said that anyone who’s been to the Xfinity Center in the past will notice the work that’s been done: “The look and the feel of the venue inside the seating area is going to change significantly.”

Among the changes will be a complete restructuring of the seating. While the overall footprint and seating capacity will remain the same, Sandoval said the new plan will offer more flexibility, allowing for different seating configurations depending on the needs of the performer. “We’re going to have more options to configure that [general-admission] pit, whether it be larger or a smaller size,” Sandoval said.

“Now we have even more options and better options for the artists, because that’s really who picks what type of seating configuration they’d like. A lot of artists really commune with the fans and they want that huge GA pit right in front of them, and they vibe off of that energy,” he said. “So we’re going to be able to accommodate that now.”

As a result, Sandoval said, the seats in the lower seating area will be replaced and the premium seating (including boxes and open-air suites) will be entirely redone, all with better sightlines. Improvements are also being made to increase accessibility across the board, rather than simply focusing on a few select areas within the venue.

“We’re expanding our accessible seats and access to be more inclusive in the lower seating area,” said Sandoval. “The path of travel is going to be better for accessibility, and we also have more accessible seats at each level.”

In addition to physical accessibility, there’s also a push toward sensory accessibility. Working with Alabama-based nonprofit KultureCity, which certifies venues with such sensory features, the Xfinity Center is adding headphone zones and quiet areas, as well as offering sensory bags with items like fidgets, earphones, earmuffs, and earplugs. “All of those things, I think, help a fan who might need them,” Sandoval said. “We also have training that we’ve rolled out to our staff so they can understand those needs better.”

The other major focus of the updates is the ceiling. The acoustic tiles currently in place date all the way back to when the Xfinity Center originally opened. “In over 40 years, those just aged, and so it was time to replace them,” Sandoval said. The plan calls for a complete refurbishment.

“We’ve engaged with sound engineers to make sure that the sound for the shed in the seating area is great,” said Sandoval. “We actually expanded the amount of soundproofing material. Without getting too technical, the sound absorption will be greater, which is going to offer a better sound experience for fans. So that’s going to be a big one. That’s the entire ceiling. And from an aesthetic perspective, it’s going to look a lot better too.”

Sandoval declined to share the cost of the renovations, but he was quick to stress that the funds are coming from allocations that will not affect ticket prices. The target date for completion is May, when the 2026 concert season is set to begin. That means the work will be taking place during the winter, when the worst of New England weather comes out to play. So it’s reasonable to wonder if there are any concerns about finishing on time.

“It’s a challenge,” Sandoval said. “I don’t think that we’re foreseeing it as a problem. It’s something that we planned for, and that’s probably why it took a little while to plan for this. There’s certain measures that we have in place to help mitigate some of the weather so that we can continue to work throughout the winter.”

Given that the 2025 season brought nearly 400,000 attendees to the venue across 32 performances, that’s a fair bit of pressure. But it also underlines both the use that the Xfinity Center has seen over the years and the need to reinvigorate a well-used warhorse of the Massachusetts concert scene. And while there’s nothing in the current plan to address traffic, parking, or restrooms, Sandoval was quick to say the scope of this particular project doesn’t rule out additional work in the future.

“Certainly, there’s always something else, right? There’s always another project,” he said. “I think this is a big one, but there’s probably more down the road that are going to make the fan experience, the end user experience, that much better and continue in this legacy of the venue. We hope to be here for another 40 years.”