Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre, Open-air theatre in Mount Tamalpais State Park, United States.
The Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre is an open-air theatre in Mount Tamalpais State Park, Marin County, California, built into the hillside at around 2,000 feet (600 m) elevation and framed by natural rock outcrops. Stone seating rises in tiered rows with a capacity of around 4,000 people, and the stage faces outward toward the surrounding hills and the San Francisco Bay beyond.
The stone structure was built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps and named after Sidney B. Cushing, who was closely linked to the railway that once ran up the mountain. The tradition of performing theatre on this spot began 20 years earlier, in 1913, before any permanent structure existed.
Every spring, live theatre performances take place here on the mountainside, drawing audiences from across the Bay Area who gather on the stone terraces under the open sky. The natural rock setting gives performances a feeling that no indoor stage can replicate.
The amphitheatre is reached on foot from a nearby parking area, and the uneven terrain makes sturdy shoes a good choice. At this elevation, temperatures can drop and wind can pick up quickly, so bringing a layer is wise even on warm days.
In 1967, this site hosted the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival, one of the first large outdoor rock festivals in the country, held a week before the better-known Monterey Pop Festival. It brought together tens of thousands of people on a remote mountainside in a way that had never happened here before.
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