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    Summer Pops

    3.9 (44 reviews)
    ModerateMusic Venues

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    The intermission!  Yeah yeah yeah, I can't get a good shot in the dark, even if it is Into Darkness!  Hahaha!
    Kristal C.

    Expensive dinner, movie, and a live Symphony Orchestra! It just can't get any better than this!!! I have played in several symphonies myself from 4th grade and well into college, and these guys are top notch, as would be expected from Summer Pops. I still find it quite hilarious when people clap for when musicians are tuning though. It always made me laugh! Watching the Startrek movie with the real symphony. This is my 2nd time going to one of these movies with an orchestra playing the score. The conductor and musicians were flawless with timing! The emotion put into playing the music is apparent, something that you can't get from a record, because you can feel the music being played. I love these events! I wish I could go to more of these! If only I lived in the area! Whenever we go to comic con we get tickets for the movie and love music!

    Rebecca T.

    The summer pops has been a San Diego symphony tradition. Every year they'll play at Embarcadero on the outdoor stage for some fun, pop classical music. It was a fun event with affordable admission, although parking costs were high - $20 minimum and $30 if you want to park closer at the premium parking. It's a great event to introduce kids to classical music because they can make noise and move around when the atmosphere is more casual. Most of the summer pops programs also seem to cater to kids more like concert for Disney music, Dreamworks Animation etc. There were beverage vendors at the venue so if you feel like a glass of wine, it's right there. Bathrooms were outhouses but at least they were clean. Bring some warm jackets because it can be windy and cold at the bay at night!

    First sets of seats
    Jackie B.

    What a great event to attend. Who would've thought that they would offer a FREE event to feature not only local bands, family games/activities, but also the San Diego Symphony Orchestra performing Academy Award winning composer John Williams music. We were entertained by Raylee Nikole, The King Taylor Project, Todo Mundo and The San Diego Symphony Orchestra tonight and had a blasts. Tim and I's first time and we are both totally hooked. What can you ask for amazing venue, live music, you can bring in your own food if you wanted to. If not they have a great selection of food and drinks. The atmosphere is just fantastic. Bay to the left and the SD skyline to the right. SD always delivers a beautiful day. Such an amazing time listening to live music while the sun is setting. When the SD Symphony came out and played John Williams's scores, you totally forgot where you were. So mesmerized by the music that it made you feel like you were elsewhere. Tim and I sat in the last two seats on the right hand side of the front row. The bathrooms were steps away to our right. Which there was never much of a wait. There's two bars. The one nearest to our seats served food as well. And if you keep to your left, there's another bathroom area set up. There's a grass area that had games. And people brought their own picnic chairs and blankets. There's also bleachers. But that didn't get packed til towards the end since the sun was out and anyone who would have sat there would have had a nice burn on their skin. The show went from 4-9pm. It said 930. But we walked out at 830 and the symphony was playing the last score. Oh btw, we didn't buy a parking spot prior to the event. So we ended up parking at the convention center for $20. Which was pretty convenient. Not much of a walk. And there's a shuttle right outside of the parking structure if you really do not walk lol! Also brought a blanket per other reviews recommendation, but didn't end up using it. I was wearing a maxi dress and just needed a light sweater to warm me up towards the end (about an hour prior to the show ending). Great location. Great times. This was such a great introduction to the SD Symphony Orchestra. This definitely will not be our last time attending.

    Julia K.

    Review is for ** 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular ** - A Bayside Summer Nights Concert The concert itself was astonishing. It just can't get any better than this! This is now my favorite venue in San Diego for live music. Coronado on the left and skyline to the right. All around you is the bay with boats and yachts anchored to listen to live music while the sun is setting down. 5 stars for the venue, 5 stars for the concert we saw!! There were LOTS of people but the venue was small and made everything seem much more intimate. Not to mention it's open air so the cool breeze made the night that much more fantastic. RECOMMENDATIONS: - UBER to the event if you can - Bring snacks with you (they're allowed)

    Lauren G.

    It's never a bad time at the Summer Pops venue. The symphony is amazing and the staff is wonderful. I can't say enough good things about these events. It's exactly what summer is made of. Located right on the water, small boats pull up to hear the music. People have many seating options; on blankets, in chairs, at a personal-sized table near the stage. There's food and wine for purchase. Blankets and jackets to buy if you get cold and didn't plan well, as I so often do. It's perfect for any type of outing, family, friends or a date. I highly recommend Summer Pops. Try the kettle corn, it's amazing!

    The shell is beautiful and the sound gets an A+.
    Bonnie S.

    So far I've been twice to the new SD Symphony shell; once to see Gordon Sumner of the Police and once for Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. Both were equally great concerts. I'm so glad that the symphony has finally reopened and the newly redone venue is AMAZING. No more portapotties is a plus and the local restaurants (albeit pricey) are delicious. I like the soups because they donate one bowl for each one ordered. The pizzas are also tasty. The down side is that they don't let you bring food in or picnic there anymore. You also can't bring in water bottles although you can bring in empty bottles and refill them. The venue itself doesn't have a bad seat in the house and plenty of leg room between rows. The best part is the sound which is utterly amazing. At one point, I thought the music was behind me and it's worth the cost of the tickets that have gone up in price. Regardless, I highly recommend going and supporting our symphony. A+!

    Mediterranean Platter and a Cabernet bottle. Always good times at Summer Pops!

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    1 year ago

    The music gets always exceptionally excellent. I look forward to going every summer and being part of the great best of activities.

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    7 years ago

    So much fun. Just being on the water, and seeing the beautiful view is worth going. Lots of good music choices. Worth your while.

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    20 years ago

    awesome venue, best outdoor place to see a show in San Diego. And its right in down town!! can't beat that!

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    12 years ago

    Italian sailboats slowly drifting by as the Italian pop singer sang. Spacious. Great picnicking. Nice crowd.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Summer Pops

    Review Highlights - Summer Pops

    “I'm so glad that the symphony has finally reopened and the newly redone venue is AMAZING.”

    Mentioned in 12 reviews

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    Prohibition - Our famous Prohibition Old Fashioned

    Prohibition

    4.0(1k reviews)
    0.4 mi•Gaslamp
    •$$

    So came down to San Diego to celebrate my brother birthday and we decided to take a whiskey class…read morewith our ladies. So we found that Prohibition offers a whiskey class where you can make drinks yourself. Met the owner Ryan who is the owner of Prohibition Whiskey and he told us the story about how he started the business and we connected because he was from Oakland. From that moment it was on and poppin. The vibes of the class was great and conversations along with the drinks were flowing. We ended the night by making an espresso martini made with whiskey and it was amazing. Plus it was dope that I got to make the drink myself. Can't wait to come back to San Diego to patron this establishment

    I went to Prohibition when I was attending a conference at the Convention Center, so I think my…read moreexperience is a little different. A sponsor had rented out the whole place and all drinks were comped with food being passed around. We had cuban sandwiches and empanadas, which I think were all from the Havana restaurant upstairs. Food was great! Drinks were good, but the menu was so confusing to me. I didn't really like how they categorized them. Sometimes I feel like just being straightforward is better. Too cute with trying to do the prohibition/speakeasy menu. It did take a while to get drinks when it was packed. Understandable. But I had a few that were good, the boats and hoes, and keffir lime tequila drink were great. I would say that the bathroom had a bit of a stink to it...not sure what it was but smelled just like coming up from the pipes. May just be a basement issue. Overall, good experience. It didn't feel super special but just like any other speakeasy. I like False Idol better in terms of overall vibe.

    Photos
    Prohibition
    Prohibition - El Fruterio featuring Azunia GBOD single barrel reposado tequila

    El Fruterio featuring Azunia GBOD single barrel reposado tequila

    Prohibition - Live Jazz/Blues/Roaring 20's kinda vibe! My kind of bar/lounge! (5/5)

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    Live Jazz/Blues/Roaring 20's kinda vibe! My kind of bar/lounge! (5/5)

    The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park - John Legend

    The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

    3.8(310 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    •$$$

    Rady Shell is gorgeous and what a treat to practice free yoga here…read more I came last weekend for a free yoga session sponsored by Fit and wow what a beautiful location! Upper lawn is where yoga was held. The instruction was a bit weird and I had trouble following the instructions. This is also from someone who has practiced yoga for over 20+ years. Instructor was also telling some unsavory jokes, which didn't work with me. But, I am not complaining as it was free yoga. The location itself was worth it. I got some closeby free parking, which probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for someone working the event that allowed us to park in a lot closeby, no fee at all. I'd consider coming by again for yoga but definitely would come back for a live performance as the venue is gorgeous!

    Such a beautiful venue to worship under the stars! Jesus is King!…read more We recently came here to watch my favorite Christian Artist and immediately fell in love with the venue. We were blessed enough to have front row seats and had the perfect view and it being a small venue it made the experience much more personal. There was lots of food and drink options and priced fairly too. Even though the concert was sold out the lines were quick and it never felt too crowded. Parking was $35-$45 but we were fortunate enough to find metered parking at $6 for 3 hours and was only a few feet away from the front entrance. I had never heard of this venue before but I would definitely return again. All Glory to God.

    Photos
    The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park - View of the skyline

    View of the skyline

    The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park - Sam Barber at The Rady Shell

    Sam Barber at The Rady Shell

    The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park - Panoramic pick

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    Panoramic pick

    Humphreys Concerts By The Bay - Concert at night

    Humphreys Concerts By The Bay

    3.3(433 reviews)
    3.6 mi•Shelter Island, Point Loma
    •$$

    It was time to celebrate my dear friend's birthday, so we decided to take in a concert. This was…read moremy first time at this venue, so I did not know what to expect from this venue. This venue is great as its outside and by the water with great views of the harbor. I love the breezes! My first challenge was seating- as I was not familiar with the venue, I did not know how important seating location was to the stage. What I learned is if you like to dance, and willing to get to the venue early- I would suggest just get the cheapest seat and sit on the side by the water- there is a cement bench that you can sit or relax your drink on. Also, in this area you can get the breeze off the ocean. You may want to bring a blanket to sit on the bench for more comfort. And then you can dance the night away and not be in people's way. If you prefer a sit- I would suggest you get a seat near the aisle so you can get drinks and get up for the bathrooms. I think even the last row, has good viewings of the stage as the concert hall is not big. Note, the space between the rows is tights. I was also shocked by the concession stand- At the back of the hall, or by where you enter. Essentially next to the bathroom, there is a concession stand that sells drinks, food and snacks. The drinks are really not that expensive for a concert. They are fair prices. The venue also has servers who you can order from which is sweet! The other plus about this venue is parking. There is free parking in the area- now how many concerts do you go to that have free parking? And there is a good amount of parking too. And when it comes time to leave-- it's a breeze. No need to race out to beat the crowd as it empties out quickly. So just kick back and enjoy your concert. I look forward to my next concert-- maybe in a boat by the venue?

    The venue is wonderful. Open air, by the ocean bay, great sound…read more The seats are HORRIBLE! The seats are plastic fold up chairs, zip tied to each other. If you are an average American (overweight) you can't fit in your chair and consequently take up your neighbors chair & space. Even when standing thete is NO room to let someone out in your row. The rows are so tight Im surprised they are to fire code. Had a hard time enjoying the awesome concert squished in my hard plastic chair.

    Photos
    Humphreys Concerts By The Bay - Seated shoulder to shoulder on white folding chairs.

    Seated shoulder to shoulder on white folding chairs.

    Humphreys Concerts By The Bay - Humphreys could be a great venue if the owners were not cramming us in so close to each other.

    Humphreys could be a great venue if the owners were not cramming us in so close to each other.

    Humphreys Concerts By The Bay - Entering the venue

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    Entering the venue

    Summer Pops - musicvenues - Updated October 2026

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