The Jones Beach Amphitheater has been a staple of Long Island's most exciting summer entertainment for nearly 80 years. Projecting out over the calm, cool waters of Zach's Bay, the amphitheater had humble beginnings as The Jones Beach Marine Stadium, a temporary wooden structure built in the early 1920s as a work relief project. In the early days of the theatre, aquatic sports events and musical entertainment were featured. In 1945, the first theater was removed because it had become unsafe. The current amphitheater, completed in 1952, seated 8,200. Additional seating was added in 1991 to bring the capacity to 11,200. However, around 1996, Nassau County and the promoters realized that another seating increase was necessary. 4000 seats were added to the theatre in 1998.
New state-of-the-art amphitheaters such as The World Music Theatre outside of Chicago, Illinois, The E Centre outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and The Nissan Pavilion outside of Washington, D.C. all have a capacity of over 20,000 with the addition of a "lawn" area behind the seating area. At Jones Beach, there simply isn't any room for a "lawn" area behind the seating area mainly because the theatre is built upwards instead of outwards. As a result, the only logical way to expand the theatre was to build up; in this case it was adding a second tier.
The current capacity of the theatre is 15,200. Still less than many of today's amphitheaters, but more respectable than the 11,200 of years past. The seldom-used lighting control tower behind the seats was raised and a second tier was added. Ticket prices for the second tier are less than the lower seats, but you don't miss that much by sitting higher up. And with the ocean just across the street, the view is beautiful and you can often get a gentle breeze to cool you on a hot summer night. The expansion project was paid for through public and private funding. Despite the absence of a lawn area, Jones Beach draws crowds every year because of its oceanfront geography and top name talent.
Online Jones Beach Theatre Long Island Tickets
