?The Greek Theatre is an outdoor entertainment venue that is owned, operated and managed by the City of Los Angeles, California. As a world-renowned amphitheater that has been named North America’s Best Small Outdoor Venue numerous times by Polstar magazine, the Greek Theatre is a cultural icon in a city that's iconsistic in its own right. The City of Los Angeles has given this venue landmark status.
Located in Griffith Park, the Greek Theatre has 5,801 seats and offers world-class musical entertainment from rock, classical, pop and reggae. Past featured performances include Elton John, the Gypsy Kings, Santana, the Russian National Ballet, Tina Turner, Paul Simon, the Who and Sting. Nederlander Concerts, established in 1912, promotes and produces the various entertainment offerings available at the Greek Theatre.
Although it was built in 1929, the Greek Theatre has its roots in the latter part of the 19th century. An immigrant from South Wales, Griffith J. Griffith, amassed a fortune through gold speculation and bought four thousand acres northeast of the city of Los Angeles in 1882. He grew to love Los Angeles dearly and wanted to give the city and its residents a gift that would express his feelings as well as last for a very long time. In 1896 during the week before Christmas, he presented the city with three thousand acres of his land to be used as a public park. When Griffin died in 1919, his will contained one million dollars to be spent for development of the park and for the building of the Greek Theatre.
Los Angeles residents and visitors have been enjoying top-quality entertainment at the Greek Theatre for decades as a result of Griffith's generosity.
