Just 40 minutes south of San Francisco, the land we know today as Shoreline Park in Mountain View underwent a surprising transformation in the 1980s. What was once a closed-off landfill has since evolved into a 750-acre waterfront green space, complete with scenic trails, wildlife habitats, and the famous Shoreline Amphitheatre.
For much of the 20th century, the land beneath Shoreline Park served as a junkyard and landfill, eventually closing due to environmental concerns. The city of Mountain View spent 15 years on an ambitious reclamation project to restore natural habitats and reshape the terrain into usable green space, opening the 750-acre Shoreline Park in 1983.
Today, visitors come to walk and cycle along miles of flat nature trails, go kayaking at Shoreline Lake, and watch for egrets and herons.
At the heart of it all is the Shoreline Amphitheatre, which opened in 1986 as a 22,000-capacity outdoor concert venue with covered tiered seating and a sprawling grassy area for general admission. Despite its location right in the middle of Silicon Valley, the surrounding park helps to make the venue feel more removed and peaceful.
Summer 2026 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre
Each year, you can catch major touring acts performing at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, making for plenty of opportunities to check it off your Bay Area bucket list. Here’s a quick look at the schedule for the rest of the summer:
- July 4, 2026 – Summer 1969: The Soundtrack of a Generation with SF Symphony
- July 8, 2026 – Chris Stapleton
- July 11, 2026 – Hilary Duff
- July 20, 2026 – Evanescence
- Aug 9, 2026 – Santana & The Doobie Brothers
- Aug 12, 2026 – John Mellencamp
- Aug 14, 2026 – Luke Bryan
- Aug 15, 2026 – TOTO + Christopher Cross + The Romantics
- Aug 19, 2026 – Ne-Yo & Akon
- Aug 20, 2026 – The Black Crowes & Whiskey Myers
- Aug 26, 2026 – Train
- Aug 27, 2026 – Muse
- Aug 28, 2026 – 5 Seconds of Summer
- Aug 29, 2026 – Nas & The Roots
Check out our full concert guide for more of the biggest acts coming to Bay Area venues.
