>> Proceeds from Levitt Pavilion’s opening night concert going to tornado relief
Start planning a summer full of FREE fun.
>> Who is playing at Levitt Pavilion this summer?
6 BEST LEVITT PAVILION HACKS
Here are 6 things you should do when visiting Levitt Pavilion, a state-of-the-art venue that debuted in August 2018 at Dave Hall Plaza in downtown Dayton:
• Bring in lawn chairs or/and blankets
• Carry in your alcohol and other beverages (no glass)
• Bring along leashed, well-behaved dogs
• Take advantage of indoor restrooms when nature calls
• Bring in outside food (Heck, Wagner said you can have a fancy picnic if you want.)
• Shake their bodies on the dance floor
“You can even dance where you are seated and no one is going to yell at you,” said Lisa Wagner, the executive director of Levitt Pavilion Dayton. “We are on a slope.”
Lawn seating will be able to accommodate as many as 5,000 people.
There’s one thing people will not need for the 50 free shows set to be staged at the public park from May through September: tickets.
“It is fun to be able to say you don’t need tickets,” Wagner said.
There will be one benefit concert that will be ticketed.
WHERE TO PARK
Concert-goers are encouraged to park on surrounding streets free after 6 p.m. or at the Oregon District Garage (previously known as the Transportation Garage) located nearby at 101 E. Fifth St.
That garage’s parking is $1 after 6 p.m.
“Montgomery County will also open up its (Reibold) garage to us,” Wagner said.
That garage is located near the corners of Fifth and Main streets.
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
Food will be available for purchase from food trucks during concerts and there will be beer and wine.
Wagner said downtown businesses plan to take advantage of the expected influx of people.
>> Where to eat near Levitt Pavilion
Third Perk Coffeehouse and Wine Bar, 46 E. Fifth St. near the Reibold Building garage, sold $5 plastic bulbs of wine and carry and go picnic packages to those heading to the concerts during the inaugural season.
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The picnic packs will include wine, sandwich wraps and other goodies for $10 each.
Juanita Darden-Jones, Third Perk’s owner and an advocate for downtown, told us when the pavilion opened that it would be a boon for local business..
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“I am really excited to see how the community embraces it,” she said. “Not just for my business, but how it brings people together downtown.”
Third Perk also offered seating on its patio before, during and after concerts, Darden-Jones said.
Other business also got into the act.
Crafted and Cured, 531 Wayne Ave. in the Oregon District, for instance, sold crowlers of beer (32 ounce cans of beer) and artisan meat and cheese cones.
Downtown Dayton Partnership Executive Director Sandy Gudorf said downtown and Oregon District restaurants and brewpubs will be open for those hoping to grab a drink or a meal before or after the concerts.
She said the pavilion will be an economic boon for downtown Dayton, which has experienced steady growth in recent years.
It is an amenity that will help breweries, pubs and restaurants and will offer even more things for visitors and residents to experience, she said.
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“It is about bringing more people downtown and getting them out exploring,” Gudorf said. “We are a community of small businesses. Venues like this draw people into (our) businesses. We see this as a unique opportunity, an economic driver to help our downtown businesses.”
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