Britt Pavilion is an open-air amphitheater tucked into a pine- and madrone-covered hillside in Jacksonville, Oregon, on the former estate of 19th-century photographer Peter Britt. The site’s natural bowl shape and clear acoustics made it a magnet for music long before any formal stage existed there.
The venue anchors the Britt Music & Arts Festival, which traces its roots to a 1963 concert staged by Portland conductor John Trudeau and friends on a makeshift plywood platform. A local orchestra kept the tradition going each summer until 1978, when the current pavilion was built to give the festival a permanent home on the historic property.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Jacksonville, Oregon
- Type: Outdoor hillside amphitheater
- Opened: 1963 (current pavilion built 1978)
- Capacity: About 2,200 (reserved seats and lawn)
- Owner: Jackson County, Oregon (leased to Britt Music & Arts Festival)
- Famous for: Natural hillside acoustics on Peter Britt’s historic estate
A Stage Built Into the Hillside
Britt Pavilion sits among ponderosa pines and native madrone trees on the sloped grounds where Peter Britt once lived, and the terrain itself does much of the acoustic work. Concertgoers choose between reserved bench seating closer to the stage or open lawn spots farther up the hill, with the Rogue Valley providing a scenic backdrop as the sun sets during summer shows.
From Plywood Stage to Permanent Venue
The festival that fills the pavilion each summer began modestly, with a single 1963 concert on a temporary platform built by Trudeau and local resident Sam McKinney. Word of the hillside’s sound quality spread, performances became an annual tradition, and by 1978 the growing festival had raised enough support to construct the permanent pavilion that hosts its orchestral, jazz, folk, and popular music lineup today.
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Britt Pavilion FAQs
Where is Britt Pavilion located?
It’s in Jacksonville, Oregon, on the historic hillside estate once owned by photographer Peter Britt, within Jackson County’s Britt Gardens property.
How many people does Britt Pavilion hold?
The venue seats about 2,200 people across reserved bench seating and general lawn areas.
When did Britt Pavilion open?
Concerts on the site date to 1963, but the current permanent pavilion structure was built in 1978.
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