Entertainment
San Diego takes over Starlight Bowl after ending lease talks
The city says it will secure and maintain the shuttered 91-year-old Balboa Park venue, add security and seek a food-service operator for the upper concourse.
The City of San Diego ended lease negotiations October 1 with Save Starlight, the nonprofit that had sought to restore and operate the historic Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park, KPBS reported through City News Service. The Parks and Recreation Department will secure and maintain the property while the city uses its own resources for landscaping and security around the venue.
What it means locally
The city plans to seek new bids for a food-service operator in the amphitheater’s upper concourse and says an upcoming Balboa Park Master Plan update will address preservation and revitalization. Built in 1935, the outdoor venue once hosted performers including Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan and Diana Ross but closed as a performance space in 2010. A 2014 city assessment found it was in poor physical condition and would require tens of millions of dollars in rehabilitation. The city said it ended talks after concerns about the nonprofit’s board and financial controls could not be resolved to its satisfaction; that is the city’s stated rationale, not a judicial finding. No full restoration funding or reopening date has been announced. The accompanying photograph shows the Starlight Bowl in December 2009 and is archival.
Full report and further details: Read original report →