Central New York residents have been rocking through 10 years of concerts at the Lakeview Amphitheater along Onondaga Lake. The county announced an upcoming community celebration to mark the venue’s anniversary at the end of May.
“We’re proud to be both an entertainment venue but, also a community recreational space and asset for the community," said executive Ryan McMahon. "Every guest will have the chance to step onto the stage where music legends have performed and go behind the curtain and into the spaces normally reserved for their favorite artists.”
McMahon also said the venue is ranked as one of the top 5 amphitheaters in the U.S. Tourism officials have long said every concert attracts visitors from out of town who spend money on things like restaurants and hotels. The county also gets a percentage of those bookings through room occupancy taxes. McMahon says having national recording artists perform every year means the venue is consistently turning a profit.
“We’ve hosted over 175 shows and welcomed over 1.5 million guest," McMahon said. "We’ve created a world class entertainment destination here in Syracuse which has resulted in a conservative estimate of over $170 million of economic impacts through 9 seasons.”
McMahon recalls the proposal to build the amphitheater received opposition from his fellow republican legislators when he served as chair ten years ago. Some argued the harsh winters would mean high maintenance costs. However, those concerns never really became an issue. The Lakeview Amphitheater community day is Sunday, May 31st from one till seven with free admission and parking. Several local music acts are scheduled to perform. The venue’s official 2026 concert season begins with rapper Kid Cudi on June 8th.
