The Hollywood Bowl
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One of Los Angeles’ most famous venues, The Hollywood Bowl is a wonderful outdoor summer experience for locals and tourists.
Visiting the Hollywood Bowl: (Jump To)
About the Hollywood Bowl
Nestled among the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Bowl is an outdoor amphitheater that seats 17,500 audience members. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its band shell, a distinctive set of concentric arches that make up the shape of the stage. The "bowl" refers to the shape of the concave hillside the amphitheater is carved into.
The bottom line is that a large selection of fantastic shows ranging from Yo Yo Ma to contemporary pop artists, such as Lady Gaga, play at this amazing space during the relatively long summer season. If you’re visiting LA during the summer or early fall, check the Bowl schedule to see if there’s something that tickles your fancy. If there is (and you can get tickets) – go. It’s delightful.
Hollywood Bowl Tickets
Tickets for the Hollywood Bowl range in price. There are cheap seats in the nosebleed section that typically start around $12. Box seats by the stage run about $400. The price goes up depending on the artist. For a lease event – all bets are off. The season is usually posted in late spring. You can find it here: www.hollywoodbowl.com
Hollywood Bowl Seating
The theatre itself is HUGE. If you’re sitting anywhere except in the very front, you won’t be able to see diddly squat. Luckily there are giant Megatrons on both sides of the theatre. Be forewarned; if you’re sitting in the way way back, you’ll still have to squint to see the Megatrons. You can always bring binoculars. You’ll look like a crazy person, but such is life.
Hollywood Bowl Parking
Parking is a huge disaster. Bowl events back up traffic for miles and it’s $25-$50 to park at the venue. The parking is stacked. If you must park at the Bowl, plan at least a half hour after the show before you’re able to leave.
There are park-and-ride shuttles available departing from various locations around Los Angeles. If you pre-book your shuttle ticket, it’s only $7 round trip. If you pay at the lot, tickets are $12 (cash only.) Check the Bowl website for details. There are also a few lots located on Highland Ave that are close enough to walk to the entrance. These lots vary in price between $20-30. The advantage is that most of these lots are single spaces, so your car won’t be stacked.
If you are feeling efficient and adventurous, take public transport to the Hollywood Bowl. The Metro RED LINE has a close stop at the Hollywood and Highland complex. The entrance to the Bowl is about a 10-minute walk north. It’s a little bit of an uphill climb. If you’re not in the best of shape I’m sure you could catch an Uber (although walking will undoubtedly be faster.)
Hollywood Bowl Tips
During most events, you’re allowed to bring in a picnic WITH alcohol. Yes, I repeat – YOU CAN BRING ALCOHOL. It’s a miracle! You can bring in wine and beer bottles, but I'm not sure about hard liquor. It might be best to re-pack that bottle of Jack into designated sippy cups. You can bring in a cooler as long as it’s no larger than 15" wide, 15" high, or 22". There are many picnic tables on the bottom levels of the complex. There’s also food available for purchase. It’s not terribly expensive. You can generally get a light dinner or a sandwich for around $15. They nail you on the booze though so BYOB.
I’d recommend bringing some food and getting to the Bowl at least an hour before the event. It will take you at least 20 minutes to enter, go through security, and find your seat. You can eat your packed picnic at your seat if you so desire.
***Some events are outsourced. (Meaning the theatre is leased out to the artist.) In these cases, the Bowl won’t allow you to bring alcohol inside. Make sure you check the Bowl website before you go so that you don’t wind up having to throw about that bottle of Pinot. GASP. The website should specify whether or not your event is outsourced.***
The Bowl has metal detectors. This dramatically slows down the entrance process. Once you enter the premises, veer to the far right and walk a little further up the hill past the massive queue of people waiting at the bottom. Once you’re up to the second level there’s an alternative set of metal detectors that usually have a much shorter wait.
Bring a light jacket. It gets cold at night in LA. It can be 90 during the day and 65 at night.
If you have a sensitive booty, you may want to bring a little cushion to sit on. The benches are made of wood or metal. It’s not the most pleasant place to sit for 2.5 hours. I always bring an extra blanket to sit on.
The majority of non-lease events don’t completely sell out. You can usually buy a ticket a day or two in advance. If you’re a local and want to save yourself a ridiculous TicketMaster service charge, go to the box office at the beginning of the season and buy all your tickets in person. We did. We saved about $40 in ticket fees.
Hollywood Bowl Museum
If you’re looking to learn more about the Hollywood Bowl or would like to see the historic amphitheater without having to buy tickets to a concert, you can visit the Hollywood Bowl Museum. The Free museum is open Daily during the summer months and weekdays during the off-season. They even have a free self-guided audio tour of the grounds. Visit their website for the most up-to-date information.
If you’re planning to spend more time in Hollywood, check out our half-day itinerary.
