We loved this venue. The food was surprisingly tasty with friendly folks serving and directing the crowds. This was the perfect night spent to see such a great show out on by comedian, Mary Mack. The Northstar Comedy Hour rivals Prairie Home Companion but way funnier! This is our new summer tradition. read more

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Wow....this place is amazing! I'm very glad a friend told me about Big Top when I shared that I was traveling to Bayfield for vacation. Saw the Indigo Girls. Amazing concert at an amazing venue. Super easy to get to location, near Bayfield. Showed up to easy parking. Scanning of tickets on the mobile phone was quick. There's great food and drinks that you can purchase once you arrive. The concert under the tent was spectacular. Everyone attending the show and working at the show was very friendly. You need to experience this at least once!! read more

Big Top Chautauqua - a band performing on stage - Music Venues Near Me - Bayfield, Wisconsin

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The big top tent leaks substantially during rain storms. Entire rows (including great seats!) are uninhabitable and had plastic draped over them- in an effort to collect the wet for our bottoms to absorb? This hurdle threw our crew into a tizzy with the planned seating arrangement (old people, 1-year old, 4-year old, & other's) completely FUBAR. We sat in mediocre, but dry seats. We enjoyed the Madeline Island show. I recommend this show to you! read more

Big Top Chautauqua - a group of people standing in front of a stage - Music Venues Near Me - Bayfield, Wisconsin

There are three separate things that a review of the Big Top Chautauqua can address -- the venue, the concessions and the show. Each deserves it's own review because the show could be spectacular even though the concessions and venue are so-so, or one could find the concessions great, the venue average and the show terrible. So that is what I will do -- a three part review. First -- the venue. Overall I'll give the venue three stars though there are some very good things to say about it. The best thing is that this is a small venue so all the seats have good sight lines and you get a good view of the performers even if you are seated near the back. Likewise, the sound system is first rate and I found the volume and clarity perfect -- both near the front and rear of the tent. The seating is a mishmash of old church pews and even older junior high school auditorium seats. The "floor" is dusty gravel. Personally, this didn't bother me, but some might find it to be a bit more primitive than they'd like. The tent has been upgraded with a more substantial canopy erected above an older tent. I understand that this means no more dripping when it rains! Parking is good and it is easy to get out after the show. The Restrooms are adequate but like so many places there needs to be more restrooms for the women -- the women in our party missed the first part of the second set after the intermission at one show. Second -- the concessions which I will give four stars. Considering the fact that everyone one working the concessions are volunteers raising funds for the ski hill and the Big Top Chautauqua -- they do a very good job. The selection of beer and other beverages is excellent with a number of local and regional craft choices available. Beverages can be purchased throughout the show and the intermission, so two thumbs up for that. The brats are good, but standard fare. I was hugely impressed by the veggie bowls with quinoa, couscous and assorted vegetables. The vegetarians in our party were happy. I added grilled white fish to mine. The char and smoke were a perfect compliment to the rest of the dish. Finally, the shows. You'll have to review the show you come to see. Each of the shows I saw this year were five star quality but whether the performers deliver or not is on them and not the Big Top Chautauqua. read more

This is definitely interesting... a huge tent show.. not bad at all! I've only been to a couple shows here, but have never really been let down doing so. I saw The Big Wu here. that was fun.. Pretty much, it is a huge tent show between Ashland and Bayfield, on Mout Ashwabay in the summertime. Now you would think that it sounds sorta weak, but they actually pull some big names, as well as locals! It is fun.. Willie Nelson, The Big Wu, Garrison Keillor, The Smothers Brothers, Warren Nelson, Corey Carlson, um.... look up a list to see the rest.. It is worth checking out though! Listen to music, and dance, under the big Blue and white tent, then grab some barbecue food and beer to eat and drink as you enjoy a Northern Wisconsin summer night...It doesn't get any better...well it does, but not here! read more

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I'm absolutely in love; incredibly friendly, awesome crowd, crazy-neat venue, and the best shuttle service between campsites I've ever seen. The tent is a very intimate setting-- not a bad seat in the house. You can't officially bring in beer, but drinks are definitely very reasonably priced -- $2.75 for a Leinie's. The whole experience had a more music festival feel than any individual concert I've ever been to. The shuttle service is freaking awesome -- if you like raucous singalongs on a bus full of strangers after an awesome concert, be sure to stay at one of the many locations in town that offer shuttle service to and from Big Top Chautauqua. I will definitely return for another concert! read more

What an interesting experience to find your way some nice summer evening to rural Washburn to attend a performance at "The Carnegie Hall of Tent Shows"! I consider this one of those diamond-in-the-rough American cultural gems. Warren Nelson and his group often are the performers and do an excellent job. Their shows often have a regional theme. They have a pot pourri of guest concerts through the summer, e.g. Leo Kottke, Garrison Keillor, Willie Nelson?!?! Don't set your sights too high in terms of expecting a top notch act but do expect to be entertained and somewhat enchanted by the whole experience. read more

What a gem in the northland! The setting is classic and the show was fantastic. We saw "The Best of the Big Top - the Blue Canvas Orchestra and Singers break out the best of their musical chops, illuminated by big screen visuals and punctuated by comedy, poetry and stories." I was particularly impressed by the musicians and the baritone singer. Songs ranged from charming originals about the Wisconsin lands, forest, people, and history to classics like Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and Bridge Over Troubled Water. The bar was empty - apparently due the the very advanced age of nearly all of the audience - making it very easy to get drinks. A great time and highly recommended! p.s. A few years ago I saw their "Riverpants" production in Oshkosh - a MUST SEE for any Wisconsin fisherman. read more

What a dump. So many better places to see a show. If you don't get seats within the first 13 letters of the alphabet, forget it. Seats I had were near the back and downhill from the seats in front of me. Couldn't see the artist and was seated in what looked like a chair from an abandoned luncheonette. Paid $75 for what amounted to an obstructed view. Won't do it again. read more

This venue offers a variety of different performances throughout the summer. My family saw a show about the history of the Bayfield area. The concert was about 2 hours long, with a 20 minute intermission in-between. The event seemed pretty casual. It was supposed to start at 7:30, but people were still trickling in for another 20 minutes. The performers were very passionate about the history of Bayfield, so that was cool to see. Their songs all had very catchy tunes, although it was sometimes hard to hear the lyrics because the music was just so loud! It seemed like a good chunk of the audience were people from the area who already knew the history of Bayfield, and it was just a way to socialize for them. We had two Big Top volunteers sitting behind us that talked loudly to each other frequently during the performance, which I thought was kind of rude. Overall, the performance was good though! The people in the audience seemed like they were having a good time too. There were places to get food and beer before the show and during intermission. read more

Big Top is such a great venue, with courteous staff, reasonable prices, and an amazing location at the base of a ski run. I went last summer to see Elephant Revival & The Avett Brothers perform. It was so great. With a down to earth setting, there are people of all ages and all walks of life. You can get tickets to sit under the tent, or you can bring your own chair/blanket and sit in the grass for a cheaper price. read more