Friends of Recreation Park Bandshell

Please Give Today

Your generous donations help us to continue to bring admission free public events to the Long Beach Community at this beautiful historic outdoor amphitheater in Recreation Park.  With enough funds over time, this unique architectural gem can also be fully revitalized.

Reactivation & Revitalization of the Historic Recreation Park Bandshell

Admission free live music, theater, dance, and performance art bring shared joy to a public park!  These live arts have the power to bring community together.

The 1929 built Spanish Baroque Recreation Park Bandshell is beautiful, but it has been an under-utilized and neglected City of Long Beach Historical Landmark performance venue.

Providing live events at the Bandshell reengages the community to have a stake in preserving its future.

Who We Are

The Recreation Park Bandshell (aka the Shell at Rec Park) is located off Federation Drive in Recreation Park, near the northeast corner of Park Avenue and 7th Street and across the street from Wilson High School.

Friends of Recreation Park Bandshell was formed in 2022 by local volunteers in coordination with Partners of Parks, our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.  The primary goals of Friends of Recreation Park Bandshell are to Reactivate and Revitalize the Historic Bandshell.

Expected 2024 Impact...

Some of the productions included:  Student Battle of the Bands Contest, the Long Beach Bluegrass Festival, a Jazz & Blues Festival with the Long Beach Blues Society and KJAZZ 88.1 FM, Shakespeare performances, the Long Beach Camerata Singers, and 7 Saturdays of Summer concerts entertaining audiences with different musical genres and live music in the park each week.  

Long Beach Gives Live! Expo & Festival - September 15, 2024

Friends of Recreation Park Bandshell have invited all 240+ Long Beach Gives nonprofits to the Long Beach Gives Live! Expo & Festival on September 15, 2024 from 1 - 5 PM at the Shell at Rec Park.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the public to stroll through the nonprofit booths to learn about these groups who give so much to our Long Beach community, to enjoy the entertainment on the stage, and to connect in the spirit of community.   We hope you will join us! 

Testimonials

"Thank you for all that you have been doing to save the bandshell!  It is so great to see it finally being used for performances.  We have loved attending all of the different concerts, and we got to see the Shakespeare performances, too!  All of the performers have been so good!"

"Thank you for inviting us to participate in the student Battle of the Bands!  For many of my music students, this was their first time performing on a large stage, with such a large audience, or with a professional sound system.  This was a great experience for them!"

"As a Friends of Recreation Park Bandshell booth volunteer, it lifts my spirits when I see how people react to the positive energy of the organization's leaders.  The concerts are top notch with an array of live music genres and great performers!  I enjoy volunteering for the Bandshell because I value satisfying a CITY need that is important to our community.   You can see the importance reflected in the enthusiasm of the audiences.  The Bandshell is a treasure and easily accessible that warrants reactivation/revitalization.  I believe that the Friends of Recreation Park Bandshell are making important progress on those goals."

 "We loved it!  My two year old did, too.  You might have heard her yell "More!" between songs."

"The Shell at Rec Park is an iconic outdoor amphitheater and 1929 Historic Landmark.  The shows produced by Friends of Rec Park Bandshell rival those at the Hollywood Bowl, but in Long Beach, and free!”