Fans heading to Capital One Arena for Garth Brooks concerts on Friday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 19, will walk through a new entrance surrounded by scaffolding and barricades.

The arena reopens to the public for the first time since exterior construction began in April. The old F Street entrance is sealed behind weatherproofing. A replacement entrance at 7th and F streets, closer to the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station, opens for the first time this weekend.

Jordan Silberman, Monumental Sports & Entertainment's president of venues, led reporters on a walking tour of the construction site Monday, Sept. 14. He said the new entry setup can move more people through faster. But overhead sidewalk protection has narrowed pedestrian space around the building, and scaffolding wraps the exterior.

"This is a transition year for us with the project," Silberman told WUSA9. "We've sent out a lot of pretty renderings, and our building is going to be beautiful, but this is a transition year for us."

The new entrance features additional security equipment, ticket-reading devices and a screening system called Xonar, according to WTOP. Doors will open 90 minutes before showtime for most events this season. Monumental is urging fans to arrive early.

The team store has moved to the old District E space in the Gallery Place Atrium. A temporary box office sits where a Häagen-Dazs shop used to be. Some 100-level concessions may shift during the season, and certain stairs and bathrooms will face temporary closures.

Monumental has coordinated with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), traffic control officers and D.C. Police to manage street closures before and after events.

Renovation cost tops $1 billion

The project's price tag has grown. Monumental now calls the renovation a "$1 billion-plus" transformation, up from the "$800 million-plus" figure it used as recently as June, according to the company's own press materials.

D.C.'s contribution has not changed. The city is paying $515 million, split between $427.5 million for construction and $87.5 million to purchase the arena outright. The D.C. Council approved that deal in April 2024.

No D.C. government official has publicly commented on the cost increase.

Monday's media tour covered only the exterior. Monumental said a full look inside the building will come later this fall. Premium spaces announced over the past year include The Halo, a 4,500-guest hospitality area with eight restaurant concepts, along with Innovation Suites, The Blueprint Studios, Theater Boxes and The Dancker Club.

The full renovation remains on track for completion before next season, Monumental said. The Capitals and Wizards will play their home games at the arena this year while construction continues around them.