Santa Barbara Bowl, Outdoor amphitheater in Santa Barbara, United States.
Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat open-air amphitheater carved into a dry creek bed on a hillside above Santa Barbara, California. Its concrete stage slab, in place from 1939 until the 2001 renovation, faces tiered seating that looks out over the city. The venue is booked exclusively by Goldenvoice and managed by the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.
The Santa Barbara Bowl was carved into a dry creek bed on the hillside in 1935 as a Works Progress Administration project, built to host the annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta pageant. Its original revolving wooden stage was washed out in the 1939 El Niño rains and replaced by a concrete slab that lasted until the 2001 renovation. The Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, formed in 1981, took over management in 1994, and over $42 million in renovations have followed.
The Bowl's name comes from its shape: a hillside hollow carved in 1935 as a Works Progress Administration project for the Old Spanish Days Fiesta pageant. Since 1994 the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, run by community volunteers, has managed the county-owned site, and over $42 million in renovations have followed. Concerts run from about April to October, roughly 27 a season.
The Bowl sits on a hillside above Santa Barbara, reached by climbing paths and stairs from the street-level entrances, so allow extra time to walk up to your seat. Concerts run from about April through October, roughly 27 per season, and the season is booked by Goldenvoice. The venue is owned by Santa Barbara County and run by the volunteer-led Bowl Foundation.
The Bowl was carved in 1935 into a dry creek bed as a Works Progress Administration project, originally to host the Old Spanish Days Fiesta pageant. Its first stage was a revolving wooden platform, washed out in the 1939 El Niño rains and replaced by a concrete slab used until the 2001 renovation.
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