The Synovus Bank Amphitheater (originally known as North Fulton Park Amphitheatre; formerly the Cadence Bank Amphitheatre and the Chastain Park Amphitheater) is an outdoor amphitheatre within historic

Chastain Park Chastain Memorial Park (originally known as the North Fulton Park, commonly known as Chastain Park) is the second largest city park in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a park near the northern edge of the city. Included in the park are jogging paths, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The venue, designed by Nelson Brackin, opened in 1944 and is decreed "Atlanta’s Oldest Outdoor Music Venue". The venue attracts more than 200,000 spectators per season.

History

With the development of the North Fulton Park underway, Fulton County Commissioner Troy Green Chastain wanted to include an outdoor music venue alongside the other amenities of the park. Due to its last-minute addition, original plans saw outdoor bleacher-style seating with a stage and bandshell. Chastain sent scouts to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropo ...

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The venue was modeled after amphitheatre at

Byrd Park Byrd Park, also known as William Byrd Park, is a public park located in Richmond, Virginia, United States, north of the James River and adjacent to Maymont. The park includes a mile-long trail with exercise stops, monuments, an amphitheatre, and ...

in Richmond. Construction began in 1942 and was completed in 1944. The venue opened on June 20, 1944, as the "North Fulton Park Amphitheater". The amphitheater got off to a slow start, mainly due to the effects of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and no promotion of events. Chastain died in 1946, with the venue and park being renamed in his honor. In 1952, the city of Atlanta gained ownership of the venue. The city began offering free concerts for the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and a year later, an opera series that ran until 1968. At the time, the venue drew more than 30,000 spectators per year. In 1973, the

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the sam ...

began its yearly concert series at the venue. During the first concert series, the ASO was conducted by celebrity bandleaders including

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...

Richard Hayman Richard Warren Joseph Hayman (March 27, 1920 – February 5, 2014) was an American musician who was the chief music arranger of the Boston Pops Orchestra for over 50 years, and served as a pops conductor for orchestras including the Detroit Symph ...

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. He is one of a handful of people to win Emmy Awards, Emmy, Grammy Awards, Grammy, Academy Awards, Oscar, and Tony Awards, Tony awards, a feat ...

and

Peter Nero Peter Nero (born Bernard Nierow; May 22, 1934 – July 6, 2023) was an American pianist and pops conductor. He directed the Philly Pops from 1979 to 2013, and earned two Grammy Awards, including the award for Best New Artist in 1962, as well ...

. The venue went through renovations in 1984, 1998 and 2004. The most notable renovation was completed by architect Nelson Brackin. Brackin was asked to design the renovation of the 6,000 seat amphitheatre in a fast-track approach lasting only a few short months. This renovation including new additions such as new box offices, concession stands in a plaza, restroom expansions, as well as staff/performer spaces like a green room, commissary, kitchen and an office for business. In 2007, the venue began a sponsorship with

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

known as the Delta Classic Chastain Park Amphitheater. In March 2018, the Georgia-based State Bank & Trust Company secured naming rights for the venue. The name change took effect April 2, 2018. In January 2019, the State Bank & Trust Company merged with fellow Georgia bank, Cadence Bank. Later in February, Live Nation announced the amphitheatre would take on the sponsored name of Cadence Bank in accordance with the merger. The name change officially took place on March 1, 2019. The venue was renamed the Synovus Bank Amphitheater on March 6, 2025.

About the venue

The outdoor amphitheater operates only during the summer months. While during most years there are shows between April and October, the majority fall between the end of May and early September. The two main promoters of

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s are the

and Live Nation. The capacity is roughly 6,900, with the vast majority of tickets being reserved seating. There is also limited

general admission In live entertainment there are several possible schemes for the seating assignment of spectators, including completely unassigned seating. There are several schemes most commonly used, though there are no firm rules, and alternate or modified sc ...

lawn seating at the back of the amphitheater and at

stage right In theatre, blocking is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. Historically, the expectations of staging/blocking have changed substantially over time in Western theater. Prior to the movem ...

. Only a small number of seats are covered. For all but a few shows a season, tables are set up in the pit and lower part of the orchestra section. Tables seat six, and all six tickets must be purchased together. Those who do not purchase table seats are allowed to bring in tray-sized tables. Also for the table setup shows, food and drinks, including

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

, are allowed to be brought in for consumption. Elaborate setups with nice food,

tablecloth A tablecloth is a cloth used to cover a table. Some are mainly ornamental coverings, which may also help protect the table from scratches and stains. Other tablecloths are designed to be spread on a dining table before laying out tableware and ...

s and

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

s are common. However, there are a small number of shows each season with a "

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

" setup. Here there are no tables or carry-ins. Instead of tables in the pit, only rows of chairs are set up.

Parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and usually leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the bu ...

is limited, and

traffic Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

can be heavy on nights when the show is sold out. The amphitheater was once the venue for "Theatre Under the Stars," a summer season of Broadway musicals and/or comedies which always featured a well-known actor as its star. In 1968, after moving into the then-new

Atlanta Civic Center The Atlanta Civic Center is a theater (building), theater located in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The theater, which seats 4,600, regularly hosted touring productions of Broadway musicals, concerts, seminars, comedy acts, and high s ...

, "Theatre Under the Stars" became "Theatre Of the Stars." In the 1980s, "Theatre Of the Stars" moved into the Fox Theatre, and in 2013, the project announced that it was closing after 60 years.

References

{{Authority control Music venues in Atlanta Amphitheaters in the United States 1944 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Music venues completed in 1944 Event venues established in 1944