WORCESTER, Mass. - It's set to be a summer of change at Worcester's DCU Center as the arena is getting ready to make a series of upgrades.

Nearly 15,000 of the venue's seats will be replaced, along with new ballroom chairs in the convention center and improvements to the building's cellular service. The arena has hosted concerts, shows and sporting events for more than 40 years.

Marketing manager John Lahair said if the start of 2023 is any indication of the future, he expects the DCU Center's next season to be great.

"After 40 years, we remain competitive," Lahair said. "We remain a destination for concerts, sporting events, family shows. We had a record run of Cirque Du Soleil this past January, we've got near-capacity crowds coming in for monster trucks, over 25,000 fans this weekend. We've got the only New England shows for Breaking Benjamin and Zach Bryan this spring. Is the DCU Center 40 years old, yes, but we feel like we're 14."

The installation of the new arena seating is set to start in the summer and will take about five months. It's being paid for by the District Improvement Fund, which draws from hotel, meals and sales tax revenues.