Chastain Park Amphitheatre: Atlanta’s Oldest Outdoor Music Venue

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July 18, 2026

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by tz

Chastain Park Amphitheatre is an outdoor concert venue tucked inside Chastain Park in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. Opened on June 20, 1944 as the North Fulton Park Amphitheater, it is widely billed as Atlanta’s oldest outdoor music venue, and it remains a beloved fixture of the city’s live entertainment scene more than eight decades later.

Owned by the City of Atlanta and booked primarily by Live Nation alongside the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the venue has carried several corporate names over the years, most recently becoming the Synovus Bank Amphitheater in March 2025 after stints as the Cadence Bank Amphitheatre, State Bank & Trust, and Delta Classic Chastain. Locals still commonly refer to it simply as Chastain Park Amphitheatre. With reserved table and lawn seating for roughly 6,900 guests, it draws an intimate, picnic-friendly crowd that has made it a signature summer concert destination in the Southeast.

Stats at a Glance

  • Location: Chastain Park, Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Type: Outdoor amphitheater
  • Opened: June 20, 1944
  • Capacity: About 6,900
  • Operator: City of Atlanta (booked by Live Nation and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
  • Famous for: Atlanta’s oldest outdoor music venue, known for reserved table seating and picnic-style concertgoing

A Storied History

Construction on the amphitheater began in 1942, championed by Fulton County Commissioner Troy Green Chastain, and it opened in 1944 as the North Fulton Park Amphitheater. After Chastain’s death in 1946, both the surrounding park and the venue were renamed in his honor. The City of Atlanta took over ownership in 1952 and began offering free concerts, including performances by the Atlanta Pops Orchestra and an opera series that ran through 1968. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra launched its own annual summer concert series there in 1973, a tradition that continues today.

Naming Rights and Today’s Venue

The amphitheater has changed sponsor names several times, moving from Delta Air Lines (2007-2018) to State Bank & Trust (2018-2019), Cadence Bank (2019-2025), and finally Synovus Bank starting March 6, 2025. Regardless of its official name, the venue’s format has stayed consistent: mostly reserved table seating with limited lawn space, and only a small number of seats under cover. It hosts more than 200,000 concertgoers each season across a lineup that spans pop, rock, jazz, and classical performances.

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Chastain Park Amphitheatre FAQs

What is Chastain Park Amphitheatre called now?

As of March 2025, the venue is officially named the Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park, though it is still commonly called Chastain Park Amphitheatre by locals and longtime fans.

When did Chastain Park Amphitheatre open?

It opened on June 20, 1944, originally as the North Fulton Park Amphitheater, making it Atlanta’s oldest outdoor music venue.

How many people does Chastain Park Amphitheatre hold?

The venue has a capacity of roughly 6,900, made up mostly of reserved table seating with a small amount of general admission lawn space.

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Photo: BullDawg2021 / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.