Hollywood Bowl: The First 100 Years

Seeing your name on the Hollywood Bowl marquee is one of the milestones signaling you’ve made it as a musician. Hear stories about the incredible artists whose names have graced that iconic real estate.

Walking tour location: The static marquee off N Highland Ave

Born of the Great Depression and nearly lost to disrepair, the fountain complex has stood for 80 years, marking not just the entrance to the Bowl, but the entrance to Hollywood itself.

Walking tour location: Marvel at the Muse across the street on the corner of N Highland Ave, or cross the street to get a closer look

Pepper Tree Lane—the walkway that transports you to the Bowl—is named for the trees that once miraculously sprouted there. Along this pathway, the outside world ends, and the Hollywood Bowl begins.

Walking tour location: Pepper Tree Lane

For decades, the Hollywood Bowl’s tea room and gardens were a gathering place as meaningful to the Bowl’s leaders and volunteers as the venue itself.   

Walking tour location: The Tea Room, just above the Hollywood Bowl Museum

From controversial choice to celebrated symbol, the Hollywood Bowl’s historic shells have been a home to legendary artists from nearly every genre of music. 

Walking tour location: Promenade 1, inside the amphitheater

Of all the experiments in the Bowl design over the last century, none has inspired more spectacular or hilarious stories than the 100,000 gallon reflecting pool that once separated artists and audiences like a moat.

Walking tour location: The Pool Circle, right in front of the stage

Whether you prefer a box or a bench, the Hollywood Bowl experience has been a beloved Southern California tradition for generations. And we owe it all to a balloon-loving architect from early Los Angeles.

Walking tour location: Get a good look at all the seats and the Bowl's balloon shape from in front of the Pool Circle or anywhere else inside the amphitheater

Before the current shell was installed in 2004, backstage at the Bowl was more greenery than greenroom. Hear stories about visiting artists and wandering animals, alike.

Walking tour location: Picnic Area 4 for a great look at the Bowl from the back

The Hollywood Bowl is an 88-acre Los Angeles County Park, filled with picturesque hideaways, hidden picnic areas, and (purportedly) buried treasure.

Walking tour location: Picnic Area 7

Only a handful of truly devoted Bowl fans have been honored with a space named after them on the Bowl's grounds. Their stories are some of the most meaningful in Bowl history.

Want to see your name under the stars? Recognize your special memories at the Hollywood Bowl by naming a box, bench, or seat. Learn more at: hollywoodbowl.com/stars

Walking tour location: Buzz McCoy's Marketplace, on the west side of the venue, near Field Gate