Merriweather Post Pavilion
4.5(6.8K)google
3.4(396)yelp
Live MusicConcertPerformanceOutdoorNight-FriendlyMust-See
Overview
Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by Billboard magazine. The venue was also ranked as the fourth best amphitheater in the United States by Rolling Stone in 2013.
Practical Info
Suggested Duration3-5 hours
Best TimeThe definitive time to visit is dictated by concert schedules, typically during the outdoor music season from May to October. Booking a 7:00 PM summer concert and scoring lawn tickets is highly recommended; you can lounge on the grass as the sunset fades into the surrounding woods during the opening acts.
Getting TherePerfectly situated in downtown Columbia. Take the RTA local bus Route 501 or 407 to the Downtown Columbia Mall stop, followed by an 8-minute walk. For drivers, exit US-29 N onto Little Patuxent Parkway; note that specific zone parking vouchers must be reserved online prior to show day.
Travel Tips
- The open lawn seating area is heavily exposed during flash summer thunderstorms; hard-tipped personal umbrellas are banned at security check, requiring fans to pack personal ponchos.
- Area parking lots utilize an advanced pre-assigned digital zone registration; drivers must reserve a specific parking voucher online 24 hours pre-show, or face forced turn-arounds by traffic police.
Reviews
Positive
- One of America's premier outdoor concert venues; the massive wood-timber pavilion canopy designed by Frank Gehry offers sensational acoustics tucked inside a lush forest.
- Flawless venue crowd management; even during sold-out multi-day festivals, the entrance security flows rapidly, backed by vast rows of sparkling clean, modern restrooms.
- The expansive sloping lawn seating is fantastic and lively, supported by massive, high-definition LED repeating screens that ensure great visuals even from the back ridges.
- Conveniently located near downtown Columbia; parking in modern adjacent garages is smoothly integrated and complimentary with your concert ticket booking.
Heads up
- In-venue food and beverage concessions are extortionately expensive; small craft beers and basic chicken tenders carry massive stadium markups that hurt budgets.
- Lawn ticketholders are completely exposed to the elements; a sudden summer downpour turns the grassy slope into a slick, muddy slide with zero overhead canopy shelter.
- Post-show dispersal triggers massive traffic gridlock in the surrounding municipal parking structures, frequently taking over an hour just to exit the garage lanes.
- For those stuck on the very far fringes of the lawn, the audio clarity can sometimes flutter in windy weather, and select sightlines suffer from minor tree branch obstruction.