Andrews Amphitheater, also called Andrews Outdoor Theatre, is an open-air venue on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus in Honolulu. Built of stone in a tiered bowl around a central lawn, it opened on June 20, 1935, and is designed to hold up to 5,500 people.
It is best known today as the campus’s main stage for concerts, cultural festivals and commencement ceremonies. Its setting in the Mānoa Valley, and its Depression-era construction, make it a rare piece of New Deal history that still hosts live music.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
- Type: Outdoor amphitheater (university venue)
- Opened: June 20, 1935
- Capacity: Up to 5,500
- Designer: Ralph Fishbourne (architect); Arthur R. Keller (consulting engineer)
- Named for: Arthur Lynn Andrews (1871–1945), early UH dean of faculties
- Famous for: Campus concerts, the Mānoa Jazz & Heritage Festival and graduations
The Concert Experience
Andrews Amphitheater is an outdoor bowl with tiered stone seating facing a stage, with a central lawn in the middle. The setup gives it a relaxed, open-air feel that suits Hawaiʻi’s climate. The design has a sweeping curve with a radius of about 60 feet, and the whole space measures roughly 200 by 300 feet.
Over the decades it has hosted rock, pop and local acts. Crowd-sourced concert databases list touring names such as Green Day, Beck, No Doubt and Pearl Jam, and more recent shows include Jeremy Zucker in April 2025. UH student events also bring in Hawaiian acts. Aloha Bash 2026, on April 17, 2026, featured High Watah and Katchafire. The amphitheater also hosts the annual Mānoa Jazz & Heritage Festival, which UH Outreach College has presented in early autumn.
A New Deal Landmark
The theater was a Federal Emergency Relief Administration project. The University of Hawaiʻi paid about $5,213 for materials, and FERA funded labor of roughly $50,000. Some of the stone used for the seating came from Fort Ruger. The class of 1935 was the first to hold commencement there.
The venue was dedicated on June 12, 1945, to Arthur L. Andrews, who had died a month earlier. Andrews came to Hawaiʻi in 1910 as an English professor, served as dean of faculties, and retired in 1936. UH’s Legacy Path and Andrews Amphitheater project is a redesign of the surrounding area, with a target completion of 2027.
Explore more: Explore more music venues.
Andrews Amphitheater FAQs
Where is Andrews Amphitheater?
It is on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, on Campus Road near Correa Road.
How many people does Andrews Amphitheater hold?
It was designed for up to 5,500 people, with tiered seating and a central lawn. Actual capacity for a concert depends on the stage and event layout.
When did Andrews Amphitheater open, and who is it named for?
It opened on June 20, 1935. It was dedicated in 1945 to Arthur Lynn Andrews, an early UH English professor and dean of faculties.
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Photo: Historyrus82 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.