AUSTIN, Texas — A grand-opening party for the Austin-area Tesla Gigafactory is planned for April 7, according to CEO Elon Musk.
The $1.1 billion facility in southeast Travis County recently started production on the electric vehicle company’s Model Y SUV and will eventually also produce the Cybertruck, Semi and Model 3 sedan.
Speaking about the Gigafactory in December, Musk said the company planned to have a grand-opening party early this year but gave no further details.
When asked on Twitter about the event on Saturday, Feb. 19, Musk replied with the date of April 7. Musk previously said the company will give factory tours to the public.
On Tuesday, March 8, Travis County commissioners approved setting a public hearing for March 22 about the event.
County documents show the event permit is for April 7 from 4 p.m. to 11:29 p.m. at the Gigafactory site. It will accommodate up to 15,000 guests, and alcohol will be served to those 21 and older.
The event "will encompass interactive tours accompanied by food and various live entertainment."
Admission will be by ticket and invitation only, the documents say.
At the Giga Fest for the company’s new factory in Berlin, there was music, food, games and an appearance by Musk.
The Austin-area site was first announced in July 2020, after Travis County and the Del Valle school district approved more than $60 million in combined tax breaks for Tesla. The Gigafactory could eventually employ around 10,000 workers, according to Musk.
In December, Tesla officially moved its headquarters from California to the site at 13101 Harold Green Road.
"This is not a matter of Tesla leaving California as our intention is to actually increase output from Fremont and from Nevada by 50%," Musk said at the time. "It's tough for people to afford houses, and a lot of people have to come in from far away. And so it's we're taking it as far as possible, but there's a limit to how big you can scale in the Bay Area."
Tesla's latest factory and headquarters isn't the only project Musk has under his belt in the Austin area. The Boring Company is developing properties in both Pflugerville and Bastrop, and Neuralink also posted jobs in the area.
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