If this late-winter rain has you feeling a bit gloomy, fear not: Summer is around the corner, or at least it sure feels like it after diving into the upcoming season’s lineup at the Hollywood Bowl. The L.A. Phil has announced its summer 2026 lineup for the iconic amphitheater—the 17th and final one with outgoing music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel. The celebrated maestro will be at the center of four star-studded late-August performances, most notably an orchestra-backed show by the Foo Fighters. Other highlights include live scores of Wes Anderson movies and Studio Ghibli films (with composer Joe Hisaishi conducting the latter), an evening with St. Vincent and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, fireworks-accompanied shows from the Beach Boys and OneRepublic, the Bowl debut of the Los Angeles Ballet and additional sets from the likes of Chance the Rapper, the Roots, Buddy Guy and many more. Courtesy L.A. Phil Before we dive deeper into the lineup, let’s give a quick refresher on the ticketing process: Subscriptions are available now, but you’ll have to wait a couple of months for tickets to single shows. So starting today, February 18, at 10am, you can subscribe to an entire series or pick up tickets for groups of 10 or more to select shows. On March 24, “create your own” packages will go on sale, followed by individual show tickets on May 5 (if there’s one date to remember here, it’s this one). This all applies to the just-announced L.A. Phil-produced shows (which also boast a BYOB-friendly policy), as opposed to the already-on-sale lease events like Bright Eyes, My Chemical Romance, Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler, plus all of the Netflix is a Joke Fest events. So back to that schedule with the only place to start: Dudamel. He begins his tenure with the New York Philharmonic only months after the end of this Bowl season, which likely explains why he’s conducting considerably fewer performances during his farewell summer than in previous years. Photograph: Courtesy L.A. PhilGustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl But the four “Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl” shows where he’ll appear will be big. First up is Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on August 20 with an Avengers-like union of local music institutions (L.A. Phil, YOLA, L.A. Master Chorale, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus) plus a new orchestral and choral piece by composer Michael Giacchino with lyrics by Angeleno and esteemed poet Amanda Gorman. The L.A. Phil and YOLA-accompanied show with the Foo Fighters (Aug 22) is by far the biggest name announced so far in this sendoff series, but “Dudamel’s Playlist” (sets from his favorite artists; Aug 21) and “A Musical Legacy” (a genre-spanning reprise of standouts from the past 17 years; Aug 23) are brimming with the potential for surprise guests. Let’s not forget: The L.A. Phil’s appearance last year at Coachella included Cynthia Erivo, Dave Grohl, Laufey, Zedd, LL Cool J, Becky G, Maren Morris, Natasha Bedingfield and Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso. As ever, this summer’s cinema lineup is pretty spectacular, with three L.A. Phil-backed evenings dedicated to music from Wes Anderson films (the final night teases an “extra special lineup”). Joe Hisaishi returns to the stage to conduct three nights with the L.A. Phil and perform his scores for the likes of Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo (his sold-out 2023 show at the Bowl leaned a bit more classical, so expect these Studio Ghibli–heavy shows to fill up very quickly). Other highlights include live scores for Amadeus, How to Train Your Dragon and Top Gun: Maverick (with soundtrack producer Lorne Balfe conducting the latter), plus the annual tribute to John Williams, as well as The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long. In addition to some of the standout pop shows at the top of this story, the KCRW-curated shows on the lineup include Bob Moses and Cannons, Boris Brejcha with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and Jon Batiste. There’s a bit of nostalgia for every decade with concerts from Al Green; ZZ Top with Cheap Trick; Squeeze, Adam Ant and the English Beat; Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors; and a tribute to Woodstock and the Harlem Cultural Festival. On the jazz side, the Blue Note Jazz Festival returns early in the season with Patti LaBelle and Wyclef Jean atop the lineup, while Herbie Hancock celebrates Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis salutes John Coltrane later in the summer. And the sizable classical lineup includes odes to the World Cup and the usual pantheon of single-name composers. That only scratches the surface of the lineup—and some of the technical upgrades, like the renamed John Williams Stage, a new surround sound system from L-Acoustics and a new exhibition, “Hollywood Bowl: Soul of a City,” that shakes up the displays at the venue’s on-site museum. You can find the full schedule and ticketing info on the Hollywood Bowl website, but we’ve picked out some of our favorite shows below. 20 shows in the Hollywood Bowl’s 2026 season lineup we’re most excited about June Blue Note Jazz FestivalPatti LaBelle, Wyclef Jean, Gregory Porter and moreSat, Sun Jun 13, 14 at 6pm Juneteenth with Chance the RapperFri June 19 at 8pm Opening Night: The Best of BroadwayHollywood Bowl OrchestraSat June 20 at 8pm A Roots Picnic Experience: A Great Night in Hip-HopThe Roots, Nas, T.I., Bun B, De La SoulSat June 27 at 7:30pm July July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular with the Beach Boys with special guest John StamosHollywood Bowl OrchestraThu, Fri July 2, 3 at 7:30pm; Sat July 5 at 7:30pm The Classical World CupLos Angeles PhilharmonicThu July 9 at 8pm Music from the Films of Wes AndersonLos Angeles PhilharmonicFri, Sat July 10, 11 at 8pm; Sun July 12 at 7pm Joe Hisaishi Film Music Concert Featuring Studio Ghibli moreLos Angeles PhilharmonicTue–Thu July 21–23 at 8pm Tchaikovsky Spectacular with FireworksLos Angeles PhilharmonicFri July 31, Sat Aug 1 at 8pm August St. Vincent with the Hollywood Bowl OrchestraSun Aug 2 at 7pm How to Train Your Dragon in ConcertHollywood Bowl OrchestraSun Aug 9 at 7:30pm Top Gun: Maverick in ConcertHollywood Bowl OrchestraSat Aug 15 at 8pm Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl: Beethoven 9Los Angeles Philharmonic, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Children’s ChorusThu Aug 20 at 8pm Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl: Dudamel’s PlaylistFri Aug 21 at 8pm Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl: Foo Fighters with the LA Phil and YOLASat Aug 22 at 8pm Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl: A Musical LegacyLos Angeles PhilharmonicSun Aug 23 at 8pm September Maestro of the Movies: A Tribute to John WilliamsLos Angeles PhilharmonicFri, Sat Sept 4, 5 at 8pm; Sun Sept 6 at 7:30pm Los Angeles Ballet at the BowlLos Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles BalletTue Sept 8 at 8pm Fireworks Finale: OneRepublicFri, Sat Sept 11, 12 at 8pm Jon BatisteSun Sept 27 at 7:30pm ...read more read less