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A Tuneful New Venue in San Diego

By M+E Staff

Steps from the Convention Center and Petco Park, this waterfront location is an architectural and acoustic wonder.

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park made its long-awaited debut the weekend of August 6-8, with a varied program that included the San Diego Symphony playing the music of Gershwin and Stravinsky, a “Best of Broadway” evening and a closing performance headlined by Gladys Knight. This is the first bayside concert venue in the nation to be operated by a Symphony orchestra and the first permanent waterfront venue on the west coast. 

Set on the San Diego Bay with sweeping views of the downtown skyline, the marina and the bay, the Rady Shell will host more than 100 concerts and events year-round. The $85 million project includes a 4,800 square-foot stage sheltered with a canopy and designed to be one of the most acoustically advanced outdoor concert venues in the U.S. A 1.25-acre audience area provides flexible seating for as many as 10,000 listeners.

Those audience members will be well fed. The Rady Shell’s expanded culinary program, The Shell Provisions, offers a range of specialties from some of San Diego’s finest eateries, and options that go from casual—curated picnic baskets, food carts featuring Middle Eastern fare, a Street Food Pavilion—to fine dining.  Imagine listening to Smokey Robinson or the Indigo Girls while enjoying a raw seafood platter, with chilled shrimp cocktail, crab cakes ahi tuna and fresh oysters.

As transporting as the Rady Shell is, the venue is also convenient for group events. Located along the Embarcadero, it’s an easy stroll from the San Diego Convention center, Petco Park and the lively Gaslamp District. Reserved group hospitality spaces are available for all performances with catering and food service provided via The Shell Provisions on-site options. The venue is also available for private events—from concerts to keynotes and an intimate dinner for 100. There are ancillary spaces for VIP entertaining and receptions, as well as ample back-of-house space that includes six private dressing rooms and a green room. Rental events are coordinated by the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Padres’ Special Events team. Visit privaterental.com for more information. 

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