Experience live music in scenic open-air venues this summer
By Wolf Trap
August 23, 2024
Just 30 minutes west of Washington, D.C., a natural oasis and cultural gem is nestled in the woodlands of Northern Virginia.
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is the nation’s only national park for the performing arts, where people bond over their love for nature and music.
“[Wolf Trap is] a center for public gathering, for friends and family to be together and enjoy concerts and music,” said Arvind Manocha, the president and CEO of Wolf Trap Foundation. “It’s also an idea; Wolf Trap was founded to be a resource to the community, to use art and music as a way to make society better.”
At Wolf Trap, guests will find three stunning performance venues: an outdoor amphitheater called the Filene Center that seats more than 7,000 people; The Barns, an intimate 382-seat theater; and the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods. These venues present more than 200 performances each year, spanning a wide range of genres, including R&B, bluegrass, indie rock, opera, pop, Latin, Broadway and kids shows.
“Our audience feels like a community here,” said Sara Beesley, the vice president of program and production at Wolf Trap. “Because our programming is eclectic and always evolving, there’s something for everyone no matter the night of the week.”
At the beginning of the summer, Wolf Trap unveiled a brand-new building called Meadow Commons that includes additional picnic terraces and restrooms, expanded food service, convenient drink fill-up stations, elevators and a new gathering space for Wolf Trap members. The addition of elevators allows visitors with mobility issues to move from the lower orchestra seats to the upper areas without additional assistance.
In addition to a vibrant mix of performances, Wolf Trap National Park also offers visitors a chance to reconnect with nature. The park has more than 100 acres of natural landscape to explore year-round, including 2.5 miles of walking trails.
“It truly is a fully functioning national park,” said Ken Bigley, the superintendent of Wolf Trap National Park. “We love to have people coming here for performances during the summer months at the Filene Center and at Children’s Theater in the Woods, and we encourage folks to come back year-round and enjoy this very beautiful place.”
Experience this marriage of music, nature and community at Wolf Trap.
