No seat in this theater was built more than 100 feet from the stage. That was the plan when it opened in downtown El Cajon in 1977, with about 1,200 seats and no center aisle, so even the back rows are not far from the band.
ECPAC, then ten dark years
For most of its life this was the East County Performing Arts Center, built in 1977 by the City of El Cajon and the Grossmont-Cuyamaca district. It sits next to City Hall on Main Street, and local papers often ranked it the best room of its kind in the area. Then the recession hit, and the city closed it in 2009 to save money.
The doors stayed shut for ten years. In December 2017 the city signed a management deal with Live Nation, and it put about $8 million into repairs and upgrades, much of it from selling the old police station on Fletcher Parkway. The building reopened in September 2019 under a new name, The Magnolia. The city owns the building, and Live Nation books and runs it.
The room
The renovation left the outside mostly alone and changed a lot inside. It brought new seats, air conditioning, a VIP lounge, craft beer and cocktail bars and an elevator to the upper seating, plus an outdoor plaza for events. Tickets are sold in tiers, with Gold Circle rows closest to the stage.
Live Nation fills the calendar with touring rock and pop veterans, comedians, tribute nights and Latin artists. Look for those shows on our rock, pop and Latin pages. Check your ticket for the night's age limit, door time and bag rules.
Out the 8 or on the Trolley
El Cajon is about 15 miles east of downtown San Diego on the 8, past La Mesa. Take the Magnolia Avenue exit. There's a lot on the north side off Magnolia Avenue at Park Avenue and a parking garage on the east side near Main Street.
The Trolley's Green and Orange lines both end at the El Cajon Transit Center on Marshall Avenue, about a mile west of the theater along Main Street. It's an easy ride out from downtown or Mission Valley. Check the MTS schedule for the trip home before you go, since a show that runs late can leave you watching the clock during the encore.
For a much bigger outdoor show in the South Bay, see North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Other venues out this way are on our East and South County page.