Tanglewood

Parking was free, we came in from the Stockbridge Bowl side so traffic was light. We walked around the grounds for a bit and stopped at the visitors center. We were going to do more exploring but they started ringing the bell that the show was about to start. We were there to see Eddie Izzard and it was him for almost 3 hours (a small break in the middle). A nice evening out and next time we’ll set aside more time to be able to check out more of the grounds.

There’s just something phenomenal about enjoying the outdoors with a picnic basket to some live classical music. Takes me back to images of a past era without the glow of screens and the distorted sound of speakers. The various events they have throughout the year, such as Movie Night, Tanglewood on Parade, etc… keep the events interesting. The fireworks show at the end of Tanglewood on Parade rivals the 4^th of July show that some cities put up. The grounds are always immaculately maintained, the availability of concession stands, equipment rental, restrooms, allow everyone to enjoy this, regardless of ownership of folding chairs and picnic baskets. The large police presence outside for traffic control, and inside of crowd controls keeps everyone courteous, and the traffic moving.

Been going here since I was 10! One of the best things my parents ever introduced us to. Now I bring my kids and enjoy Tanglewood On Parade every year. It doesn’t get much better than this if you like classical music. Bring a picnic and sit on the lawn for the ultimate experience on a nice day or evening.

What can I say that hasn’t been said. One of the reasons we wanted to come back to W. Mass is this place. We just love it. My wife came here with her family when she was a kid, and we never miss July 4^th. It just can’t be beat.

A true treasure in beautiful Berkshire county. Beautiful views, incredible music, an experience that must be had. One of my favorite places to go regularly. Especially on the lawn.

My family has been coming to see James Taylor for over 10 years now every Fourth of July weekend. The concert is fun because of the Tanglewood experience. We prefer to get lawn seats because it’s fun to pack a picnic dinner and hang out for the afternoon. Make sure you go early to line up before the doors open since this is always a sold out show.
Tanglewood is also the perfect venue for picnicking when the BSO is playing or even when no concerts are going on. It’s a beautiful spot in the Berkshires that both locals and tourists love.

Ozawa Hall tonight in the intermittent rain. Audra McDonald mixed with the rolling Berkshire thunder is ethereal.

Tanglewood is a treasure! The Berkshires are so beautiful and offer so much to see and do. You are cheating yourself if you don’t take a trip there and enjoy a concert at Tanglewood. The setting is magnificent. Sitting under the stars and listening to The beautiful music of the Boston Pops will remain one of the loveliest experiences of my life. Take a picnic, go with good friends and enjoy yourself. My only criticism of Tanglewood, is that unlike other outdoor theaters I’ve attended, you cannot see the stage from the lawn. It was disappointing to hear a wonderful James Taylor concert and not even be able to see the top of his head. Tickets it in the theater are expensive, but you cannot beat the price of the lawn tickets.

We came here for the James Taylor concert on July 4^th. It was my 1^st time here and it didn’t disappoint. The grounds were absolutely lovely, complete with a small maze and large lawns. The acoustics were very good and a variety of screens were provided so that all could see each section of the stage.
Staff were very helpful in helping you find your seat. My only «complaint» is that there were long lines for the bathrooms, although I realize that this was likely because this show has an unusually high number of attendees. The show itself was fun and the evening was topped off by fireworks.
All in all, a nice way to spend the 4^th.

I can’t believe it took me this long to get to this place after my many years in western mass. Aaah well. On the eve of moving to California, we finally made it to tanglewood to see Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. Of course we loved the show. Arrived with our chairs, sandwiches and bottle of bubbly. Impressed by the tables and snazzy snacks of the crowd. Loved the silence as people listened. Dismayed by the lack of dancing to the old standards but as a shy guy on the dance floor I can empathize.

What’s not to love about Tanglewood? Beautiful grounds, all the right people, summer nights under the trees and stars listening to awesome artists. tonight Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (age before beauty)!
In the past James Taylor, the Boston Pops, Bare Naked Ladies, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, Carol King, Guster and Ben Folds– 4^th of July fireworks, to name a few events. As you can see, something for everyone each and every season!
Bring the kids, bring the grandparents, bring your wife or lover, bring your friends, make new ones! Park early, enjoy a leisurely picnic and some wine, tour the lovely grounds with the fantastic mountain and Stockbridge Bowl views, stay late until traffic winds down go here now and go often …

A lovely site that epitomizes Summer. Very grown up compared to SPAC. Parking can be a drag, so arrive early and have a picnic. I never try to get lawn seats in advance with the weather here, though.

Fun in the Summer sun for those visiting the Berkshire Mountains or just out for day tripping. A venue for classical minded symphony goers but also pop culture and jazz aficionados. Something for everyone and its most fun on the lawn with picnic baskets, cheese, wine and friends too. It’s very civilized entertainment and a well funded venue that simply never disappoints!

Be careful with the gushing reviews about the music performances at the Shed.
I’ve attended two concerts inside (not Lawn) The Shed. One was a Boston Pops performance where we were about 30 rows (section 5) back and one JT/​Carole King where we were center (section 12) 6 rows from the back of The Shed.
Before I make comments about the acoustics know this about the sight lines. There is hardly any rake so chances are good you will have difficulty seeing from just about any section in The Shed. They do provide screens which help with seeing the performers but not ideal for a live setting. As for acoustics the Pops concert sound was fine but we were very close to the acoustical ceiling tiles. The Taylor/​King concert was fine when they were singing solo with a guitar or piano but at times a full band sound was muddled (perhaps a mixing problem but I doubt it).
If you want to be part of the performance, and get the best sound, buy tickets in The Shed and get seats as close as you can. I rate the facility overall average due to the acoustics and poor seating.

Great, huge, beautiful venue. I suggest venturing away from your picnic blanket for a bit in order to explore all of the different gardens and spaces around the grounds. The food was pretty good quality– surprising variety and a number of healthy choices.
Tickets vary– they are pretty pricey for pavillian seats (I think mine were about $ 146), but cheaper for lawn seats.
If you are new to Tanglewood, I’d like to highlight the importance of google maps. The center is so huge and the night is so dark by the time the performances end, that I had to use my map in order to find the correct exit. Thank goodness I dropped a pin where I parked my car!

The summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, they feature an expanded ensemble including many young performers, as well as guest stars from varied musical genres. If you sit inside the «shed,» you get the full, orchestral experience, with very good acoustics for a venue with a roof but no side walls. If you sit outside on the «lawn,» you can make it an event, with food, wine, and family.
Overall, Tanglewood is a gem that should be appreciated by all who have the good fortune to visit it.

A near perfect venue for enjoying music outdoors in the summer. Favorites include James Taylor (July 4^th), Movie Night conducted by John Williams, and Tanglewood on Parade.
Food at Tanglewood ranges from the very meh (chicken tenders, burgers, pizza) to super yummy (they have many flavors of SoCo Creamery ice cream scooped on site.
Chairs can be rented (and many people do), but we always bring our own. With the exception of those with seats in the shed (i.e., under the roof), most people have varying set ups, ranging from just chairs, to those with tarps, tables, etc. You can bring your own food and alcohol and have apps, entrees and desserts while sitting on the beautiful lawn. Beer and wine are also sold at the venue.
While I won’t take any stars away for it, the venue needs to start attracting and booking some more modern music selections. The band Train, which has now played at Tanglewood for 2 years, is a good start, but booking more modern groups will increase revenue and attract younger patrons, most of whom are not classical music aficionados.

I have been wanting to experience Tanglewood for a while now. I adore quality time with myself and every year I try to plan a different solo activity to recharge my batteries. An organization that I am affiliated with organized a bus trip to Tanglewood this year and I jumped at the opportunity. What a wonderful evening it was!
My visit began with the prelude concert in Ozawa Hall. The Tanglewood Festival Chorus performed an all-​Britten program celebrating the centennial of the composer’s birth. Once that was over I went to get a glass of wine in the cafeteria. I packed a meal so I did not purchase anything else.
I found a spot on the lawn to sit on my blanket, eat and people watch. I was heartened to see all ages and cultures there. Sure there are lots of older people there but there are also families with young children as well. The lawn space is large enough that even a family with a small baby can find a spot without disturbing anyone.
Food and drinks are not allowed in the shed so I waited until the very last moment before moving to my seat in there. In the future I will be more mindful of choosing an aisle seat or one of the rear benches. As is the case with most old buildings, the seats are quite small and I generally don’t like seating in between people anyway so lesson learned.
I originally planned to sit on the lawn for the duration of the concert itself. It started to get really cold however and I quickly realized that my sleeveless top and pashmina were not going to cut it. I visited the gift shop to look for a pullover but I thought everything was overpriced so I decided to suck it up and just drape my blanket around my shoulders.
The concert started on time and the Boston Symphony Orchestra masterfully performed Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D, Stravinsky’s Concerto Piano and Winds and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A. It was a wonderful concert, particularly pianist Peter Serkin’s performance.
The whole evening was the perfect end to a busy week. I was able to unwind, enjoy nature and have my senses stimulated. I look forward to my next visit!

Nice place to see a show in West Bumf***, MA. The sound was good. My only real complaint was the no beverage rule in the shed. I am not waiting in line to drink a beer in corral like a heard of drunk cattle. Maybe next time I’ll sit on the lawn, which is BYOB.
I saw Guster, Ben Folds Five and BNL who were all fantastic. The show wasn’t even close to being sold out, and I left before the encore, so I was out of the parking lot in a few minutes. Good times!

Tanglewood is my happy place. I’ve been coming here since I was a child and getting my bare toes into the grass of Tanglewood’s lush lawn officially marks the start of my summer. The lawn seats are a ridiculously good value (I think I noticed that this season, most of the Friday night lawn tickets are just $ 9 each); the sound is superb (I think better than in the shed), and if you don’t mind the lack of a stage visual, bring your blanket and your favorite goodies, kick off your shoes, and enjoy the sweet sounds while you look up at the stars. But if you’re the type who would feel disconnected by not being able to see what’s going on on the stage, you may prefer to spring for shed seats; you can still picnic on the lawn beforehand if you wish.
I like to arrive 30 – 60 minutes before the gates open… the traffic is often a bit lighter and the parking a bit easier. We’ve gotten fairly streamlined with our picnic haul… chairs, a portable table from Crate & Barrel that I think they should just rename «The Tanglewood» because it’s incredibly perfect and even has a hauling-​friendly shoulder strap, a blanket, a rolling cooler and a tote bag of «stuff» (books, dishes, candles, etc.). If you have much more of a setup, you might consider bringing a wagon or, even better, one of those collapsible garden carts.
Our general routine is to set up camp near a favorite tree (don’t worry… there are many to choose from and they regularly plant more), then walk over to Ozawa Hall if there’s a pre-​concert. When we head over to Ozawa, we leave everything on the lawn except for maybe something to sip. As for Ozawa Hall itself, it is stunningly beautiful and, while the sound inside is better than in the shed, the entire back wall opens to a green hillside and I just cannot resist sitting barefoot in the grass. Again, it just says summer to me.
In my experience, the lawn crowd for the evening classical concerts is very respectful of the music so if you decide to picnic, don’t worry about the socializing and merriment detracting from the listening… everything goes hush when the concert starts. If you have little ones who will need to run and stretch and chatter, you may want to stay off to the back or far sides of the lawn and be prepared to take them for a walk if their volume escalates or if it seems like they’re becoming a distraction to other guests. I definitely remember having my quiet Tanglewood activities (like coloring by candlelight — my dad would ask me to «draw what I hear» and I think that helped me tune into the music at a young age) and being frequently reminded to whisper if I had questions :)
This is a magical place. Just go.