Billboard recently released a study that unveiled which venues bring the best of live entertainment to fans across the globe–and a Queens stadium was named the best amphitheater on the East Coast 👀–but if you’re willing to travel a bit out of the city, particularly to what feels like the middle of nowhere in upstate NY, you’ll find there are way more places to sing your little heart out beyond NYC’s iconic venues.
USA Today recently released their ranking of the 10 best amphitheaters in the U.S. for open-air entertainment, nominated by an expert panel and then chosen by readers, and out of the well over a thousand amphitheaters throughout the United States, the Pavilion at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York claimed the number one spot!
The Pavilion at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Located 90 miles north of NYC, the Pavilion at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is situated on the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, so to say it’s a pretty iconic location would be the understatement of the century.
The open-air venue features a sweeping pavilion roof above 5,000 seats along with a lawn with seating for 11,000 more guests, essentially drawing in crowds that are larger than the town itself–World Population Review estimates a population of just 4,367 in Bethel for 2025.
And though the venue is large, spanning 1,000 lush acres of former dairy farmland, each seat offers great acoustics and views of the stage for concert goers to enjoy a large range of performances including everything from jazz and pop to rock, country, and soul.
A long history of legendary performers
The story of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts begins with Alan Gerry, a born-and-raised resident of Liberty, NY. Passionate about improving the quality of life in his beloved hometown, Gerry founded the Gerry Foundation in the 1990s with future plans of creating an arts center. In 1998 Gerry acquired the land where the original Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place, and in 2002 architectural firm Westlake Reed Leskosky began designing the venue.
In 2006, the New York Philharmonic performed at the venue’s inaugural season. Since then, the venue has seen its fair share of legendary performers take the stage, including Elton John, Dave Matthews Band, Sting, Pitbull, Jimmy Buffet, Van Halen, Jason Aldean, Lady Gaga, and more.
Bethel Woods summer concert schedule
If you’re interested in catching a show at the Pavilion at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, you’ll be happy to know its summer lineup is pretty impressive! Upcoming shows include:
- Sunday, 6/22 – Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
- Friday, 6/27 – Avril Lavigne
- Sunday, 7/13 – “Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour
- Sunday, 7/20 – Def Leppard
- Friday, 7/25 – Cyndi Lauper
- Sunday, 7/27 – Barenaked Ladies
- Friday, 8/1 – The Offspring
- Saturday, 8/2 – +LIVE+ & Collective Soul
- Sunday, 8/3 – Bret Michaels & Vince Neil
- Friday, 8/15 – Steve Miller Band
- Saturday, 8/16 – Dierks Bentley
- Friday, 8/22 – Bonnie Raitt
- Sunday, 8/24 – neil young and the chrome hearts
- Friday, 8/29 – The Black Keys
- Saturday, 8/30 – Heart
- Saturday, 9/6 – blink-182: Missionary Impossible 2025 Tour
- Saturday, 9/27 – The Black Crowes
See the full ranking.
📍 200 Hurd Rd, Bethel, New York 12720
🚗 ~2 hours from NYC