The Sunset Center in Carmel is a historic venue for live performances and community events. Built in 1926 as Sunset School, the Spanish Colonial Revival building was saved and transformed into the Sunset Center, giving it new life as a cultural hub. Good lighting and clear acoustics here, and performances are enjoyable from all 718 seats in the main room. For the show we attended, sponsored by Folk-Yeah, our seating was assigned & we picked physical tickets up at will-call --no electronic tickets. It felt relatively small and well organized for a concert venue. Wine is sold in non-spillable sippy cups, a smart, practical detail. For our show, the merchandise line spilled out the front door and moved slowly. More than enough bathrooms at the venue. The ushers are helpful, though pocket lights and seat assistance during the performance can be distracting. Overall, an intimate place to see a live act in Carmel. read more

Sunset Center - Opener before Father John Misty fundraiser - Performing Arts Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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I really enjoy volunteering here, for many reasons. The presentations and performances are top notch. Entertainers, artists, musicians, comedians and others adore visiting Carmel by the Sea and the Monterey Peninsula. The venue maximum is about 700 guests in the main theater and 50 for the studio 105 shows. So not overwhelming crowds, thank goodness. Many outdoor patio shows and big screen theater movies are complimentary, to all. As volunteers, we work usually less than 4 hour shifts and see the shows, for free. We earn credits for next season tickets, with Bravo lounge status. Maxed 4 tickets, 10 shifts per ticket. We choose the shifts and shows to volunteer, then get assigned. Older very nice group of people, the majority are women. Exciting to be involved with such a fabulous team. Thank you kindly! read more

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Locals have been complaining for years about the Sunset Center's backwards, archaic ticket ordering system. Whenever tickets go on sale for a popular event, that a lot of people want to purchase tickets for, their ancient system breaks down and either completely freezes or sends the ticket buyer back to step 1, which allows people who came in the queue later to jump them in line and get better seats. The other main problem is it takes way too many steps to buy tickets. You should be able to just click once on each seat you want, and then be taken to the credit card field. But with this moronic, archaic system you have to complete a thousand other steps. It's ridiculous, especially since the system may freeze during any one of the thousand steps, causing you to lose your place in the queue and get behind people who came online after you. The Sunset Center needs to hire competent people to dump their current system and replace it with a 21st century ticket ordering system that is faster and less prone to crashes. It is far easier and far faster to order tickets for a major event in a 50,000 seat stadium through Ticketmaster or StubHub than it is to buy tickets for a minor event that will be attended by only a few hundred people at the tiny Sunset Center. read more

Clean property. Friendly Staff/Ushers. Great show. Decent food bar. I would highly suggest finding a show to see here

The Sunset Center is a terrific venue without a bad seat in the house. The acoustics are top notch and generally complement the bookings. It's recommended to arrive early as parking can be challenging. read more

This would have been a classy venue for seeing Boz Skaggs' rescheduled COVID concert. Even our seats at the very top were no reason to complain! However, the lack of control over the use of cell phones during the concert absolutely ruined the experience. When four people right in front of us pulled out their cell phones (again!) to videotape entire songs, that lowered the experience to a very large degree. It is no different than being in a movie theater, where cell phones must be off. Even if the artist approves of the use of photography, it is the venue that holds the keys (literally) to the experience. The manager politely responded that they would train their volunteer ushers better, which is not the solution. Those kind people have no authority and would be like sheep going into the wolf's den. My recommendation is for the manager to announce at the beginning that while photos are allowed, "to be respectful to the other patrons' experience of enjoying the concert, photos may be taken during the first two songs only." If you want to videotape entire songs, stay home and watch it on YouTube. read more

Came here to see RENT and had access to the VIP event. The event was a nice treat right before the show and featured great wines. The venue itself is beautiful and the staff was very helpful. We enjoyed our time here. read more

Came from Toronto for the week to spend Valentine's in Big Sur with my guy, and got tickets for "Beautiful" at the Sunset Center in Carmel of February 11th, 2020. While we were approaching the building we were greeted by a few people from a local union holding signs describing issues inside Sunset Center. After talking with them a bit, we asked if they had any documents to corroborate the Sunset Center's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (American OSHA, Canadian equivalent is CCOHS) issues, and they did. Sunset Center was fined over $17,000 USD for failure safety issues. They showed documents to prove this has taken place since their union is no longer the main group working in there. They had documents Sunset Center has been causing problems for a lot of other art companies in the area, and it seemed to point to the Executive Director or the building being greedy. The documents are all there. We were outraged, as my husband works for a union outside Toronto, Ont. We decided to not attend the show, in solidarity for their concerns. They told us they aren't trying to keeps us from attending, but we can't, in good conscience, attend a venue with types of morals and disregard for worker safety and the art community. We will never attend another event at this building while these people run it. On a side note, we loved Big Sur! read more

The Nutcraker was beautiful. Hats off to creative director for a successful 150 member cast! To the young lady that had a foot injury 1 week prior and was to play Claire my heart went out to you! Your alternates performace was spot on! The usher Rosemary however was aggressive, inappropriate, racist and rude.... details below. Show ended and my husband politley asked Rosemary where he could located my grandmas wheelchair. (She is 94 and had to use the ladies room.) Rosmary very rudely scowled and told my husband the chair would be brought to use after the theater cleared. "Just sit down and be patient."We were in row zz (last one in the back of theater on purpose for easy entrance and exit.) I then watched 2 ushers bring in 2 wheelchairs and 1 rolling walker to other guests seated further into the theater than us. My husband decided to go get the car parked a street over. On his way to the car he noticed the wheelchair close by the theater and brought it in to me however Rosemary took possesion. At this point, I was upset at how this woman was acting toward my husband. I stood up and asked Rosemary what her problem was she scoffed and rolled her eyed. I attempted to take the wheelchair from her. (Remember my grandma has to use the restroom,10 minutes have now passed and 85 percent of theater has cleared.)Rosemary yanked the chair back from me. Told me that, "People were trying to leave." I said well, so are we! She then yanked the chair again. It took the other ushers telling her to let go of the wheelchair for her to stop aggressively pulling the wheelchair from me. Rosemary had an issue with my black husband from the beginning, for no reason. We arrived dressed well, polite and were truly enjoying ourselves before this encounter. Carmel Sunset Center, you can do better at screening your ushers. Rosemary whatever deep seeded racial issues you have let it go, we will pray for you. It is 2018 and blacks no longer sit in the back of bus.... Formal complaints have been made... read more

Sunset Center is a wonderful venue to see great performances and such. Every seat is a good seat and it's in lovely Carmel.

Great spot for a performance...beautiful setting, lovely architecture and good leg room and height between seats. The ushers were friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. Bonus was the parking as the lot was conveniently located next to the center. Would recommend! read more

The Sunset Center located in idyllic Carmel by the Sea is top shelf, best of breed, first cabin, an oasis of music, theatre, dance, comedy and Bach! Ahhhh! Bach, the concerts, the coordination, the grandeur! Supported by a dedicated staff of extremely knowledgeable caring volunteers, the Sunset Center has my utmost praise. I would have given it 5 Stars; but it's pretty creepy sitting under the big hanging grasshopper for a couple of hours - you have to be there. No, it's not a real grasshopper; but once you see it, you will never forget it! read more

Beautiful venue located in an even more beautiful city. I was the photographer for the secret Vance Joy concert presented by Aston Martin & Artists Den last week. While running around taking photos, I mistakenly left my backup camera somewhere inside the venue, and didn't notice it was gone until after the show was over (I live an hour and a half away). I want to thank whoever the good samaritan was that turned in my camera to the venue staff. I also want to thank the staff at the Sunset Center for shipping my camera to me at no charge. You guys are the best! read more

Very few wonderful venues like this in our area; this one's a treasure! We had great seats last night for Smuin Ballet's winter performance. They were incredible! Interestingly this was Saturday night and it wasn't sold out. Too bad. There are always fantastic art exhibits here too. The current one are photos of China, Vietnam and other parts of Asia - wonderfully done. read more

Sunset Center - Stage is set for a great evening. - Performing Arts Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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The Sunset Center recently changed its website because of the large number of complaints about its ticket ordering system. I did not think it was possible, but the new ticket order system is even worse than the old ticket ordering system. The Sunset Center needs to fire whatever employee is responsible for the ticket ordering component of the website and hire someone who knows what they are doing. Also they need to look at major ticket ordering websites to get an idea of how a good ticket ordering system looks and functions. read more

From visual and acoustic standpoints, an outstanding venue. They could use some logistical improvements. They rightfully required guests to mask, even before the current statewide mandate, and ask for proof of vaccination. However, if you come in the wrong entrance, there is no one to check your vaccination status. The restroom situation is screwy. Some are open, some are closed. If you go to your seat on the balcony, you need to go back downstairs and outside to use the toilets. You then come back inside, whereupon you're asked for your ticket again. The "Will Call" window is inside, which isn't readily apparent when you arrive. With the dark surroundings and lack of good signage, it's not readily apparent where to enter and exit. They could use some signs outside directing people to downtown Carmel, Highway 1, etc. They could use some better air circulation inside the venue. Other than that, it's great! read more

Just returned home from the Dec. 10th Willie Nelson concert. He started playing promptly at 7:00 and the concert was over at 8:00. This marked the biggest rip-off in 50 years of attending concerts all over the US. Sunset Center should offer refunds to customers who paid so much for so little. No opening act, no encore....just a single hour of music with an out-of-tune guitar and Willie Nelson and family. If I had tickets for Tuesday nite's show, they'd already be listed for sale. This represented a total RIP-OFF!! read more

If you purchase tickets be aware you may not get them per their website instructions. We "tried" to purchase tickets for an upcoming show but it was a frustrating experience. It took several emails and a phone call, over 4 weeks, to finally get someone to simply email us our tickets. At that time I expected some sort of "We apologize for the delay and the terrible lack of communication with our organization" but we got nothing. :( I hope the show is far better then the experience we had with their ticketing staff. fingers crossed. read more

Great venue. Easy walk from anywhere in downtown Carmel. Great acoustics and friendly staff.

Came to Sunset Center to see THE WATERBOYS & what a lovely venue! Huge glass picture windows hold the same architecture as the inside setup - very church-looking & serene Extremely intimate venue w/ a small balcony, comfy seats & plenty of legroom. Views were spot on & sound was crisp & clear. There was someone in the audience, however, who was completely rude & yelled to the band that they had too much bass.....but up in the balcony where we were, the sound was perfect! This is where seat placement comes in to play & how important it is to watch where you sit..... it impacts the experience in every single venue But more importantly, I would have hoped the "yelling person" would have showed a little more respect & decorum ( we heard people teasing the culprit & them all laughing about the incident as we were all leaving the show so we know it was a Carmel local....shame on you!! ) We would love to come back here again in the near future & will most definitely plan to be here at the next available opportunity! read more

I graduated from Middle School at the Sunset Center! I felt like a rock star, even though it was waaaay before the big renovation and not at all glamorous. The center itself has gone through many changes in the last few decades, and it's turned out to be one of the nicest venues in town. It's definitely the place to see classical music, if you can get a hold of their schedule. A very special place for locals and tourists alike! read more

This is a review of the conference center itself. We were looking for a reasonable place to hold a three day workshop in Carmel. After visiting several hotels in the area, it was way too expensive to hold it at their locations (we are a nonprofit in many senses of the word!). WE came across the Center and spoke with Barb, who was very helpful. The cost was extremely reasonable and the rooms, while somewhat austere, was more than adequate for our needs. We had access to Carpenter Hall and the kitchen adjacent to it. Staff was very helpful and accommodating to the usual last minute changes. Free parking was readily available and overall, the experience was pretty awesome. read more

Yup, I'm a new fan of the venue, seats are in fact comfy as previous reviewers have mentioned. We sat in the balcony and that was fine and am guessing the best seats in the house would be the front row of the aforementioned balcony.. The shame is we went to see '1964 The Tribute' a Beatles cover band that apparently is the best cover band on the planet. All I can say is the competition must be pretty damn thin as we didn't stay to the end.. Oh well ! read more

Gorgeous building!! Was there for the Bach Festival, All Brendenburg concert. The musicians rocked!! It's almost like a pop concert, that you just want to get up and dance!! I especially like their little gift shop, they have a good collection of musical publications. read more

I had this mission to see Los Lobos live and discovered they would be playing an accoustic concert in carmel at the Sunset Center last March. We drove through a rain storm to see them and spend the night in Carmel. Let me tell you, it was an incredible night and as good as Los Lobos were, the star of the night was this venue. If you want a special reason to visit Carmel, check to see their concert lineup. A small intimate theatre, a treasure.... read more

Sunset Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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I purchased tickets online via my iPhone. I was totally unaware I had ordered 2 sets of tickets for the same show. The software did not indicate my first order was complete but instead there was a list of events to choose from so I chose the event again. Thinking my first choice in seats timed out and were taken I chose seats in the next row this time around After the seat choices were made once again there was no confirmation of my order being placed but the list of events appeared again. Thinking this is some kind of bug in the software I checked my email only to see 2 sets of ticket confirmations for the event to be held in February 2018. I emailed right away (no response) and called the ticket office soon after they opened. Sunset Center really couldn't care less. They offered nothing. No refund or exchange for a future event. I am extremely disappointed in the administrative office and will have this memory before I think about any future dealings with the Sunset Center in Carmel. read more

We saw Buddy Guy at this venue what a great place to see a performance.

The Sunset Center is an absolutely gorgeous venue. It's design is very user-friendly and the acoustics are fantastic. Mummy goes to the Bach Festival every year like it's her job and I'll tag a long on a couple of the performances. Seeing classical music here is mesmerizing. The Monterey Symphony performs here and I keep meaning to go, but with San Francisco so close I use up my number-of-live-classic-music-concerts-I-can-see-before-I-get-bored quotient before I work my way down to Monterey. I wish they more events that appealed to me. Tracie P's review mentions that Los Lobos played there in 2005. I would eat off my right arm to see Los Lobos at The Sunset! How freaking cool! So this is the only drawback to the Sunset Center, which isn't their fault. It's just that their demographic tends to be pretty out-of-sync with mine. I think I was one of maybe a dozen people under 60 the last time I went. Unfortunately, most of the events there just don't appeal to me. But really, if you find an event you like, this would be a great part of an evening or weekend away, especially with all the great restaurants in the area. read more

Attended a Monterey Symphony and Choral concert at this venue. Smaller type auditorium setting in an older but remodeled building. The seats were theater type and the acoustics were very nice. Both the music and voices were clear and distinct. Has a nice lobby and many outdoor seats for the intermission break. Nice venue for the performing arts in the Monterey peninsula area. read more

All around great location Great seating, good sound, comfy seats, easy parking, newly renovated, and nice choice of events. You would think that a town that specializes in crappy art featuring crystaline sculptures of busty mermaids and bronzed paintings of dolphins and dogs would likely go in big for cheeseball entertainment. Fortunately not. They bring in good stuff. Heating/Cooling system is slow to adjust. Sometimes you cook before the AC can catch up to the mass of people. read more

We saw John Mayall and Dave Mason at the Sunset Center Theater. My friend Hank was playing with Mayall, so we got on the guest list (whoo!) and we got to go back stage. Plush digs for the musicians! The theater itself is very nice and holds about 1000 very wealthy people, all well-dressed. This is not Gilman Street or even the Frieght and Salvage. The architecture is civic Spanish Mission style. Even the balcony seats looked as if you would feel close enough to the performers. Mayall and performed well, if very close to the tried and true blues formula. Guitarist Buddy Whittington can play, and is an awesome singer too. John should let him sing some backup. I enjoyed the vintage posters from years past that showed ticket prices topping at $1.25. Now that's a good deal. If only I could get my band booked here! read more

What an amazing place. Great sound and experience. We can't wait for the Nutcracker this year. It runs December 11, 12th, and 13th. I bought tickets yesterday and they were selling quick so get them if your interested. The have a gala event on Friday night that was amazing last year and a tea party for kids on Sunday. This is not one to miss..... read more

Was here for a conference. First of all, this place is hidden in the local streets of Carmel by the Sea. Once you get off the freeway, you have to make several turns and stops before you reach the Sunset Center. If you have to present in the Chapman room, be ready to use an old computer (although I'm not sure if the laptop was provided by the Sunset Center or the conference organizers). If you're using powerpoint, please help the audience and use a dark background as there is no way of dimming the lights. Overall, a very nice venue for any cultural event. Very clean bathrooms. Plenty of parking in lot and on the street. Lots of B&Bs within walking distance, but the closest chain hotel is in Monterey. read more

Very nice place to have seen the Tibetan Monks. Staff were very friendly, and funny, too. : ) My husband was trying to say "general seating" and that he could sit anywhere. The usher was very good with him and did not let him "sit just anywhere"....with a smile on his face. Ah, the story of my life. read more

It's so great to have a great local theater!!! The venue is very nice and the seats are comfortable. Tickets are fair priced. Would love for them to have events more than they currently do but we can't have everything!!! read more

Went to see Forbidden Broadway. As I write this the show is still going. It was soo horribly bad that my girlfriend and I left at intermission. There was nobody monitoring the sound, resulting in an actress having to switch between 3 microphones before getting one that worked. That Mic wasn't tuned to her voice, so every high note rang shrill in your ear. I find this hard to believe that this show used to be on Broadway, if I wanted a half-baked satire I should've stayed home and watched fox news. read more

We went to the Momix show last night and had an incredible experience! Every single staff member was smiling, polite, and eager to help. We enjoyed the Bravo member lounge where they had great wine and some amazing cheese and chocolate! Rya was very nice and answered all our questions. We sat in row N and had a perfect view of the performance. In previous reviews I couldn't tell if our seats would be ideal but they were perfect. We plan on checking out future shows for future visits to Carmel. read more

Really lousy on so many levels. Good for music listening only. Performance would not be viewable as the rake is almost non existent. The entry is bizarre and constricted- sad because it is beautiful but functionally poor. read more

What a find! This centrally located music center is a must-see in Carmel. The acoustics and ambiance are fitting to the natural surroundings. The prices are reasonable, the staff are very friendly and the snacks are perfect. The concert we attended was the highlight of our Carmel stay. Oh yes, and we just adored the pre-show lecture. read more

Beautiful. Have seen many Carmel High dance shows/ Fashion shows here~ What a great place!!