Ravinia Festival
Interactive map of Ravinia Festival | |
| Address | 200 Ravinia Park Road Highland Park, Illinois United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°9′29″N 87°46′37″W / 42.15806°N 87.77694°W |
| Owner | Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad (1904-1911) Ravinia Festival Association (1911-present) |
| Public transit | UPN at Ravinia Park |
| Construction | |
| Opened | August 15, 1904 |
| Years active | 1904–1931, 1936–2019, 2021–present |
| Website | |
| https://www.ravinia.org | |
Ravinia Festival is a primarily outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September in a wide variety of musical genres from classical to pop. The first orchestra to perform at Ravinia Festival was the New York Philharmonic under Walter Damrosch on June 17, 1905, with the Chicago Tribune praising its "musical entertainment so satisfying in quality and so delightful in environment." It has been the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) since 1936. Located in the Ravinia neighborhood, the venue operates on the grounds of the 36-acre (15 ha) Ravinia Park, with a variety of outdoor and indoor performing arts facilities, including the architectural prairie style Martin Theatre. The Ravinia Festival attracts about 400,000 listeners to some 100 to 120 events.
The Ravinia neighborhood, once an incorporated village before annexation in 1899, is actively maintained by the Ravinia Neighbors Association, who work to enhance and preserve Ravinia's architecture, history, and environment. The business district on Roger Williams Ave., within walking distance from the Ravinia Festival grounds, includes neighborhood service businesses and restaurants. Ravinia takes its name from the numerous steep-sided ravines that slice the shoreline near Lake Michigan.