The best Seattle outdoor concert locations. Where are they?
There are two huge outdoor concert venues in Washington state, the Gorge in George and the White River Amphitheatre. But those are not the only places where you can enjoy music outdoors in a great setting. Let's take a look at some other great outdoor venues in Western Washington near Seattle.
Great locations.
According to seattletimes.com,
‘Time indoors feels particularly cruel when blue skies and mountain ranges preside over the Emerald City and the weaving waterways of Puget Sound. For a city where it supposedly never stops raining, the broader Seattle area is blessed with an abundance of outdoor concert venues, which hit their collective stride from the middle of June until late September.’
Our first location is at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup.
I like this venue because of all the fun that surrounds it. You have access to all the county fair amenities, and it’s an outdoor venue with chairs and bleachers you can sit on rather than trying to lie down on grass. You get great sound and a variety of music.
The last time I saw a concert at the fairgrounds was when Bruce Hornsby and the Range performed. It was a great show; it lasted almost 3 hours. The producers of the event actually had to ask Bruce to stop playing so they could do their fireworks display.
Marymoor Park in Redmond.
For lack of a better term, you can call this a mid-level outdoor amphitheater in a beautiful park setting. You will find a good variety of food trucks and more than enough beer to make any concert setting there relaxing and enjoyable. Parking can be a little bit of an issue since it's costing upwards of 20 bucks now. It's still a great outdoor venue.
Woodland Park Zoo. In Seattle.
I can remember going to Woodland Park Zoo as a kid, but I've never been there for a concert. I'm told it's a lot of fun. The Zoo Tunes Concert Series has been around for 42 years, and it's not unusual to have its shows sold out.
It has the feel of a city park and will accommodate up to 4000 people. If there's any downside to this venue, it would be that they have some rather strict sound volume limits so that the shows don't bother the animals. The shows are also neighborhood friendly, which means they wrap up normally at 9:00 PM.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville.
This winery concert series has been around almost as long as the Woodland Park Zoo Tunes Concert Series. The venue is amazing, over 118 acres. The stage is great and you have the option of reserve seating or watching the show on the lawn. The producers of the concert series work hard to present a diverse list of performers. The last time I was there for a show was quite a while ago actually with the B.B. King Blues Festival, which included the first time I got to hear Susan Tedeschi as a solo artist.
Dune Peninsula in Tacoma.
This venue is only two years old and has made a very big impression on concert goers in the South Sound area.
It's a pop-up venue, not permanent, located in Point Defiance Park and will accommodate up to 5000 people. The actual run of concerts is short, only 8 this year since it's a temporary location. The amenities can be considered a little sparse. But my God, what a view.
For the purposes of this article, I'm not going to go into all of the casino concert locations both in Western and Eastern Washington.
If you get a chance, go to an outdoor show, the listening is casual, the sound is typically good, and maybe you'll make some friends.
The Summer of $30 Washington Concerts
Gallery Credit: Avery Cooper
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