As the San Diego Symphony season opens Aug. 6, specialty foods will complement the sound of music at the new Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in downtown San Diego.
Named the Shell Provisions, the culinary fare will include Chef Richard Blais, Urban Kitchen Group, Biga, Lola55 and Achilles Coffee Roasters.
“Our goal with The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is to not only give San Diegans and visitors an unforgettable musical experience, but also an outstanding cultural experience that reflects our city,” San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer said in a statement. “The Shell Provisions highlights San Diego’s cuisine, while supporting local businesses.”
The Shell Provisions will be cashless.
Blais By the Bay, Blais Boxes and Urban Kitchen picnic boxes are available for pre-order. Selections from Lola55, Biga, Urban Kitchen Group as well as other purveyors throughout Prebys Plaza will be available for self-order at a kiosk.
Guests can also pre- or self-order via The Rady Shell app. The app also contains access to digital tickets, the venue’s concert calendar and full information about the new venue.
No outside food or drink will be permitted aside from factory-sealed water bottles.
Guests seated in the Marina and San Diego Row sections will have a variety of tableside dining options including seafood, flatiron steak, “arroz con pollo” roast chicken, and vegan whole wheat fusilli pasta.
Blais Boxes selections include a pulled Hawaiian pork sandwich, roasted vegetable wrap, “The Cupboard” charcuterie-themed box, a chef-selected vegan option and more. These are available to concert goers in the Marina, San Diego and Parkside sections.
For information of dining options and to pre-order, see Blais By the Bay meals, Blais Boxes must be pre-ordered by 4 p.m. the day before the concert.
Named for San Diego philanthropist Conrad Prebys, the Prebys Plaza Dining Pavilion and Market will serve as the central hub for food and beverage offerings available to all guests at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
This open air pavilion and dining area will be home to many local partners offering self-order and grab-and-go selections. Food fare in the Pavilion and Market will also include pizza, tacos, and sandwiches.
Throughout and adjacent to Prebys Plaza, multiple carts will offer guests even more options. Local establishments providing cart service include Marketplace Grille, featuring an assortment of hummus, wraps and desserts.
Kitchens For Good will also have a cart featuring a selection of soups and bread. Minocqua Popcorn will operate a cart offering buttered popcorn and kettle corn.
There will be multiple full bars throughout the venue, locations varying by concert or event. These bars include quality spirits, wine, local craft beers from AleSmith, Saint Archer and Stone Brewing as well as canned Cutwater cocktails, the official canned cocktail of the San Diego Symphony.
A wide variety of wines by-the-bottle will be available and non-alcoholic options include soft drinks, and water.
The Rady Shell’s inaugural season, feature music from classical to rock, to R&B to Broadway, starts on Friday, August 6 with Music Director Rafael Payare conducting the symphony in the world premiere of Mason Bates’s Soundcheck in C Major.
The opening weekend musical offerings are here.
- Friday, Aug. 6: Opening Night and Annual Gala with guest artists Ryan “Speedo” Green, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Alisa Weilerstein
- Saturday, Aug. 7: “The Best of Broadway,” featuring Megan Hilty, Norm Lewis, Kelli O’Hara and Adrienne Warren, with the San Diego Symphony, conducted by Rob Fisher.
- Sunday, Aug. 8: Gladys Knight, with Naturally 7
A few tickets are available for opening night at the Shell, 200 Marina Park Way, ranging from $184 to $72.
Concerts featured throughout the season until Nov. 14 include the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Police co-founder Stewart Copeland, Jason Mraz, Bobby McFerrin, Sergio Mendez, Smokey Robinson and the Indigo Girls.
For full schedule and ticket options, see this page.
The Rady Shell is the first permanent outdoor venue in the San Diego Symphony’s century-long history, designed to host more than 100 concerts and events year-round. The project has been developed in partnership with the Unified Port of San Diego with 96% of the $85 million cost raised privately by the symphony.