Visting Austin’s Moody Amphitheater
Since opening in August 2021, we had been looking for the right opportunity to check out Moody Amphitheater and the attached Waterloo Park. After getting a chance to see a concert there in July 2022, we are happy to report that the location is an absolute gem and we will look forward to more opportunities to attend events in this space.
The signature “roof” is definitely the most unique trait about this venue. Even the logo for the Moody Amphitheater directly references the open, slotted roof.
The Moody Amphitheater has a concert capacity of 5,000 guests and it was nearly full for a recent Fleet Foxes concert. With a show time listed at 7pm, we arrived closer to 6pm to have some time for souvenirs, drinks, and to scope out the surrounding area. Although the listed address for the venue is 1401 Trinity Street, the guest entrance for concerts is actually nearest to the corner of Red River and 15th Street. So when we parked at 12th and Trinity, we left ourselves a few blocks to walk to the main entrance. (There is an entrance on Trinity Street, but that is only for media and VIPs.) We would therefore suggest parking at one of the lots off 15th Street if they are available. All parking surrounding the venue was listed at a flat $15 rate.
The venue had an impressive drink menu for such a setting. They also offered a handful of dinner options, so next time we will bring an appetite. Lines to get food and drink were quite manageable. There are also a handful of food trucks in the adjoining park that we didn’t have time to see. We did learn after we arrived that guests are allowed to bring in one water bottle apiece, something that would have been good to know in advance. A 16 ounce can of water was $5 on-site and in 100 oF heat, it’s easy to go through waters pretty quickly. So we recommend bringing a cold bottle of water along for the trip.
The venue is 100% cashless so all transactions are credit/debit card only. And for those with lawn seats, we recommend checking your blanket size before coming to your show. The maximum allowable blanket is 30” x 60”.
The night of the Fleet Foxes concert was a very hot day in Austin, right around 100 oF for a high and not much less than that at the time of the concert. Our seats in Section 104 were about 10 rows back and shaded pretty well even as we entered, but the seats further back (including the lawn seats) were in the hot sun for the early part of the performance. The sun seemed like it would play a factor in viewing the stage from the back lawn seats. The setting sun is in the same eyeline as the stage early in the performance during this part of the year when the days are long and the sun sets well after 8pm.
The venue is just gorgeous and offers great views of the park and the downtown area. From some of the lawn seats, the Capitol is visible just beyond the stage. From our seats, the acoustics sounded great for an outdoor venue.
We enjoyed our first visit to Moody Amphitheater and look forward to seeing more the surrounding park on our next visit.
Copy and images courtesy of Moody Amphitheater
