Huntington Bank Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater on Northerly Island in Chicago, Illinois, built on the former site of Meigs Field airport. It opened on June 24, 2005 as Charter One Pavilion, with Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago headlining the inaugural concert, and has since been known as FirstMerit Bank Pavilion (2013-2017) before taking its current name.
Owned by the Chicago Park District and operated by Live Nation, the venue is a temporary structure assembled each spring and taken down after the concert season, sitting on a peninsula that gives concertgoers panoramic views of Lake Michigan, Burnham Harbor, Soldier Field, and the downtown Chicago skyline.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Northerly Island, Chicago, Illinois
- Type: Outdoor amphitheater
- Opened: June 24, 2005
- Capacity: Up to about 30,000 (grandstand and lawn combined)
- Operator: Live Nation Entertainment
- Owner: Chicago Park District
- Famous for: Lakefront skyline views and hosting Farm Aid’s 30th anniversary concert in 2015
A Venue Built With a View
What sets Huntington Bank Pavilion apart from most amphitheaters is its setting: it sits on Northerly Island, a peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan just south of downtown Chicago, on the former runway of Meigs Field airport. Marketed as “The Venue with a View,” its stage and seating are oriented so audiences can take in Burnham Harbor, Soldier Field, and the Chicago skyline while acts perform.
The venue expanded significantly in 2013, when the city granted permission to rotate the stage and add a roughly 22,000-capacity lawn area alongside the original grandstand seating, growing the site from about 4.78 to 6.9 acres and pushing total capacity toward 30,000.
A Summer Concert Staple
Because it is a seasonal, temporary structure, the pavilion typically operates from late spring through early fall, hosting touring pop, rock, EDM, and hip-hop acts. It has also hosted major one-off events, including Farm Aid’s 30th anniversary concert in 2015, which featured Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, and Imagine Dragons among its lineup.
Explore more: more iconic music venues.
Huntington Bank Pavilion FAQs
Where is Huntington Bank Pavilion located?
It’s on Northerly Island, a lakefront peninsula in Chicago, Illinois, just south of downtown near Soldier Field.
What was Huntington Bank Pavilion previously called?
It opened in 2005 as Charter One Pavilion, was renamed FirstMerit Bank Pavilion in 2013, and became Huntington Bank Pavilion in 2017.
How many people can Huntington Bank Pavilion hold?
The venue can accommodate up to about 30,000 people across its grandstand seating and lawn area, following a 2013 expansion.
Get More from Huntington Bank Pavilion
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Huntington Bank Pavilion, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Wayne Ward / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.