Xfinity Live! is on track for a $15 million makeover, with five new bars and a beer garden

The makeover underway at Xfinity Live!, the only bar in South Philadelphia’s sports stadium district, received a positive review from the city’s Art Commission on Wednesday.

The expansion of outdoor offerings, from the Cordish Cos. and Comcast Spectacor, is slated to be completed by early 2026.

It would include a VIP pavilion, a stage for live music, a plaza, public art, food trucks, a beer garden with seats for 236 patrons, and space for games like table tennis and cornhole. The new price tag is $15 million, up from $12 million when first announced.

Representatives of the project said few changes would be made to the existing Xfinity Live! building, except for painting and some lighting fixed to the exterior to better illuminate the plaza.

“There is an outdoor space right now. We’re just enhancing it, [and] we’re bringing the energy outside a little bit more by adding a few more bars,” said Daniel Bedesem, with the architecture firm Perkins Eastman. “But essentially, the way it operates is the same.”

Five additional bars will be added to the exterior of Xfinity Live!, including three freestanding in and around the plaza and two within the VIP pavilion. One of the outdoor bars would include an expansion of the PBR Cowboy Bar in the building, and another would be a “Crush bar” that features juice offerings.

The project needs no zoning permission to move forward but requires sign off for the general design and the signage from the Art Commission. It easily received the first of those Wednesday.

“It looks really good to be honest, and it’s really needed,” said Raed Nasser, a member of the Art Commission. “We need something like this in Philly.”

Cordish Cos. and Comcast Spectacor are planning public art for the site and featured a rendering of a huge LOVE Park-style signage meant to be Instagram-able, although Bedesem said a decision had not yet been made on whether to place it at a prominent point like 11th Street and Pattison Avenue near the entrance or to distribute art around the site.

The expansion of Xfinity Live! is the first aspect of what Comcast Spectacor promises will be a dramatic reimagining of the sports stadium district, which is currently dominated by one of the largest surface parking lots in North America. The sports complex includes Citizen Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field, and the Wells Fargo Center.

The more ambitious $2.5 billion proposal, which emerged after the Philadelphia 76ers began their campaign to leave the complex for a new Center City arena, would include housing, green space, and other developments including hotels, restaurants, and outdoor performance venues.

For now, however, only the expansion of Xfinity Live! is guaranteed.

“The vibe that they’re going for [is to] build on the energy that’s down there at the stadiums when people are tailgating,” Bedesem said.