The Hollywood Bowl is the most famous outdoor concert venue in America: a natural bowl in the Hollywood Hills where 17,500 people have gathered under the stars since 1922, framed by the concentric arcs of its iconic band shell.
Summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and stage to everyone from the Beatles in 1964 to virtually every major artist since, the Bowl is as much a Los Angeles institution as the sign on the hill behind it.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Opened: 1922
- Capacity: 17,500
- Resident: LA Phil (summers)
- Landmark: Its concentric-arch band shell
A Century Under the Stars
The Bowl’s history reads like a history of American entertainment: symphonies, jazz greats, the Beatles’ famous 1964 live recording, fireworks nights, and film-score spectaculars. The shell has been rebuilt several times — including designs touched by the Lloyd Wright family — but its silhouette has been LA shorthand for a hundred years.
It also perfected the picnic concert: patrons carry in baskets and wine, and boxes near the stage come with tables — a tradition as beloved as anything on the program.
Visiting Tips
Take the park-and-ride shuttles — Bowl parking is famously stacked. Cheap bench seats high in the bowl are one of the best deals in live music, with the LA skyline glowing beyond the shell.
Explore more: the biggest live music venues in the world, all music venue guides.
Hollywood Bowl FAQs
How many people does the Hollywood Bowl hold?
The Hollywood Bowl seats 17,500, making it one of the largest natural-amphitheater music venues in the world.
When did the Hollywood Bowl open?
The Bowl opened in 1922 and has hosted concerts every summer since — over a century of shows.
Can you bring food and wine into the Hollywood Bowl?
Yes — picnicking is a Bowl tradition, and at most events patrons can bring food and (at LA Phil-presented shows) their own wine.
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Photo: lindsaybridge from Sydney, Australia / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.