Get off the UC San Diego Blue Line at Central Campus station and you are already there. The Epstein Family Amphitheater sits just steps from the platform, which makes it the rare San Diego venue where the Trolley really is the easiest way in.
Getting there
The Blue Line runs up from downtown and Old Town to the campus, and the stop doubles as the rideshare pickup and dropoff point. That matters, because driving to UC San Diego takes a little planning.
- The campus requires parking permits seven days a week, including concert nights. Visitors pay at a pay station or through a parking app.
- The Gilman Parking Structure is the closest, about a four minute walk. Scholars, Hopkins and South structures are each around ten minutes away.
- Visitor spaces work at any time, and A, B and S spaces also open to visitors after 4 pm. Read the sign at the space before you walk away.
The venue lists its address as 9480 Innovation Lane, in the Pepper Canyon part of campus.
Reserved seats or the lawn
The amphitheater holds roughly 2,500 people. Tickets come in two kinds. Reserved seats are on stone benches curved around the stage, and General Lawn tickets put you on the grassy hill. The lawn is steep, so lawn chairs are not allowed. Cushions are fine if they sit flat and have no legs or frame.
The venue suggests dressing in layers and wearing shoes without heels if you are on the lawn. La Jolla nights can turn damp once the marine layer rolls in, so a jacket is a good idea. Children 2 and older need their own ticket. Beer and wine are sold to guests of age at most events, and the food vendors are cashless.
A campus stage since 2022
UC San Diego opened the amphitheater in October 2022. The singer NIKI played the first concert for a crowd of students on October 20, and the San Diego Symphony played the official debut the next night. Dan and Phyllis Epstein gave $10 million toward the project, and Safdie Rabines Architects designed it, with a steel arch holding up a translucent canopy over the stage.
The campus performance office runs it, and the bookings range widely, with rock bands, classical programs and dance performances all on the schedule. Many of the touring shows land on our alternative calendar. On days without a show, the lawn works as a campus park where students read or eat lunch on the hill.
La Jolla is part of our Point Loma and the Coast area. For another outdoor stage near the water, see Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.