Santa Barbara Bowl
| The Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Location | Santa Barbara, California |
| Type | Outdoor Amphitheater |
| Built | 1936 |
| Renovated | 1994 - 2012 |
| Owner | Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation |
| Seating type | Seats |
| Capacity | 4,562 |
| Website | Santa Barbara Bowl |
The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California.
The Santa Barbara Bowl is open for concerts from approximately April through approximately October with an average of about 27 concerts per season. Booked exclusively by Nederlander Concerts in Los Angeles, the Bowl hosts primarily popular music concerts. With world-class views and amenities, the Bowl is often considered the preeminent stop for both artists and patrons.
Contents |
[edit] History
It was carved into the hillside, in 1936, as a WPA project. The Bowl is nestled in a natural amphitheatre setting amongst beautiful specimens of Pacific Oaks, a few minutes from downtown Santa Barbara. It was originally built as the home for the final pageant of Old Spanish Days.
The amphitheater's original stage was a revolving wooden stage that washed out during El Niño rains in 1939. The stage was replaced with a concrete slab that was in place until renovation in 2001.
[edit] Mission Statement
The Santa Barbara Bowl is managed by the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, a not-for-profit charitable organization with the following mission objectives:
- To enhance the facilities of the Santa Barbara Bowl for the comfort and enjoyment of both patrons and artists – with the goal of becoming the leading outdoor performing arts center in the country.
- To continually broaden the musical spectrum of performers to reflect the diversity of our community and the interests of our patrons.
- To further develop three foundation endowments to
- provide a long term funding source for facility maintenance and repairs
- to underwrite program diversity in the fields of art, music, drama and dance, and
- to provide essential arts education programming and events for children attending our community schools, colleges and universities.
[edit] Renovations
The Santa Barbara Bowl has undergone over $25 million in renovations since the establishment of the Foundation in 1991.
| Year | Renovation Project |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors regained control of the Bowl from Old Spanish Days |
| 1992 | Renovation and Restoration Master Plan developed by the Foundation |
| 1994 |
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| 1995 |
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| 2000 |
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| 2002 | The stage and backstage facilities reconstructed increasing the overall useable square footage by +300% (3,000 sq. ft. to 10,000 sq. ft.) (Master Plan Phase 1A}
|
| 2003 | Seating Upgrades
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| 2004 |
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| 2005 |
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| 2006 |
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