I attended the performance for editorial purposes.
Spending an evening at the Hollywood Bowl is a must every summer! I’ve attended all types of concerts at the fabulous Hollywood Bowl but watching a favorite movie accompanied by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra? That’s pure magic! Grab your picnic basket, and rent a seat cushion (if your seats are on the benches!) and enjoy an evening under the stars for a journey of music and film. Tonight, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix dazzled my daughter and I. She’s a huge fan and rejects the fact that she’s a muggle!
Hanging out the Hollywood Bowl feels more like a community event, and the hours before the movie begins is an event unto itself. We love to show up early and hang our with our picnic basket and beverages. The Bowl is a large venue but once the movie begins, you tend to get lost in the moment. We coincidentally wound up sharing a box with friends! This made the night even better.
Sarah Hicks conduced the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. It was refreshing to see a female conductor as you seldom see women leading a symphony orchestra! Hicks encouraged fans to cheer for their favorite characters and moments in the film and to “boo” for their favorite naughty villains! Harry Potter films have so many memorable moments and Nicholas Hooper’s film score is a pleasurable and dark listening experience. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra take on the score was impeccably played.
Order of the Phoenix is the 5th film in the Harry Potter series. In Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter prepares a group of his fellow students to defend Hogwarts from the war that is to come. Cornelius Fudge (minister of the arts), worries that Professor Dumbledore is after his job so he sets Dolores Umbridge to Hogwarts to keep things orderly. The Hollywood Bowl audience clearly disliked Umbridge with their “boos” as well as their Harry and his schoolmates. it’s thrilling to be with so many fellow Harry Potter fans. My daughter wore her Hufflepuff colors, but everyone was in solidarity to ward off evil.
Upcoming movie nights this season are: Jurassic Park in Concert August 16th and August 17th and Sing-A-Long Sound of Music is on September 21!
Tips: Bring your own food! It’s welcomed and your kids can create a menu with you! It doesn’t matter where you sit, pack a picnic but if you do sit in the terrace, get creative like our neighbors did with Harry Potter table clothes!
Dress up the kids in their finest Harry Potter gear! And don’t forget the wands! I suggest bringing a sweatshirt or blanket as well as it can get chilly at night.
Bring the binoculars! You can definitely see from any seat in the house. The venue offers 5 screens but it’s always cool to get a closer look at the musicians on stage.
Events like this are a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to the symphony and the magic of movie music! Children of all ages are welcome but remember, it can be a long evening. Make sure that they can sit through an entire film, intermission and so on. Also, most people have seen the movie so things can get loud! But that just adds to the experience. We love it!
Parking is stacked but there are other options for getting to the venue. Uber, park and ride service, or walk if you are lucky to live close enough to do so. If you do park in stacked parking, be prepared for a mass exodus of cars which can take awhile but it’s usually orderly.
