Seattle: Summer evenings in the park

A lovely cultural evening at night does not have to be overstimulating or expensive. Especially when you bring a blanket and picnic to a setting like Seattle’s Volunteer Park

Volunteer Park Trust and Seattle Parks and Recreation just hosted a grand opening celebration for its new Volunteer Park Amphitheater.

Over the summer, Volunteer Park Trust will produce a series of casual concerts at the amphitheater, hosting six free shows and performances on Thursday evenings, Jul. 14-Aug. 18, 2022, from 6:00-8:30 p.m.

“This is the first new building for this historic park in 50 years,” Seattle Parks and Recreation states. “And it is the only public outdoor stage in the region capable of supporting professional dance with its custom-designed resilient stage floor.”

Volunteer Park, located on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, is a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed landmark park that is home to the Seattle Asian Art Museum (which, come on, closes at 5 p.m.) and the Volunteer Park Conservatory.

Often referred to as the “Father of Landscape Architecture,” Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed New York City’s Central Park in the 1850s. Olmsted’s portfolio also included some of America’s most beloved public parks and university campuses.