Tanglewood Summer for Families

TANGLEWOOD SUMMER  2026: check out full List of Summer 2026 PERFORMANCES.

Attending a Tanglewood concert is our family’s beloved summer tradition!  Tanglewood, (in its 88^th season in the summer of 2026), is summer home of Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops and a center for advanced musical studies that welcomes nation’s leading young artists every summer to train and perform.  It is the country’s premier music festival with dance, jazz, drama, and opera joining the mix in this year’s line-up .

I have put together this list of things to help you experience Tanglewood with family – so you could start your own Tanglewood summer family tradition!

(You can also follow our YouTube VLOG from our trip a couple of summers ago)

 

1. DIVERSE MUSICAL PROGRAMMING (and seating options)

While Tanglewood programming has been in full swing by the end of June, BOSTON SYMPHONY’s first Tanglewood performance this summer on Sunday  July 5th, with the world premier of Philip Glass’ Lincoln Symphony No. 15 (with actor Alec Baldwin narrating in Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait”); with John Williams’ Lincoln suite on the Program. See full list of performances HERE.  Tanglewood summer traditional grand classical pieces (by Boston Symphony) are complimented by the beloved Boston POPS, popular artists’ performances in a variety of musical styles and a Festival of Contemporary Music.  We look forward to Hugh Jackson singing with the POPs on August 11.

We are also thrilled with the returning performances of  Tanglewood “regulars” Joshua Bell (violin), and pianists Daniil Trifonov, Yuja Wang and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Yo-Yo Ma’s curated residency weekend is August 8-9 (he is conducting on Sunday August 9).  Martha Graham Dance Company is on Tanglewood stage on Friday, August 14 “accompanying”  the BSO Performance.  Official season traditionally concludes with Beethoven’s 9th Ode to Joy (on  Sunday August 23) but popular genre concerts will continue through early September.  (We were lucky to attend a closing night several seasons ago and it was an amazingly memorable musical event!)

As much as we enjoyed this magical experience, for families with young children, LAWN seating is the best (and most affordable) choice .  There is a concert (or a lecture) happening practically every day of the week – several during weekends- at Tanglewood this summer! with Sunday afternoon concerts (2:30pm) traditionally being the most family-friendly.  (Saturday morning rehearsals or any programs with lawn seating will work too!)

And, children’s (under 18) tickets (for BSO and POPs concerts) are FREE for the lawn (Note that children 5 and under are not permitted inside the Koussevitzky Music Shed Seiji Ozawa Hall during performances, except for Family Concert on July 19; there is NO age restriction for the lawn).

2. FAMILY-FRIENDLY PROGRAMMING 

To help families make musical connections,  Tanglewood’s family programming this summer includes:

An annual Family Concert (on Sunday July 19 in the summer of 2026) led by renown conductor and musical educator Thomas Wilkins. 

TANGLEWOOD PARADE– an annual all-day family friendly celebration is on Tuesday, August 4 (gates open at 2pm; we have yet to attend this event),  with performances throughout the day by  the Boston Pops led by Keith Lockhart,  and by Boston Symphony led by Andris Nelsons, with the fireworks to follow the program.

Tanglewood Learning Institute‘s family programming this summer includes Peter and the Wolf – see full schedule here.

When our kids were younger we loved to include these fun educational family programs into our Tanglewood visits. The Linde Center for Music and Learning beautiful modern facility was since added to the Tanglewood grounds in 2019.

3. CONCERT TIME: KIDS CAN STILL PLAY!

During the concert time on Sunday afternoons, our kids would dance when younger, but now are mostly quietly reading or drawing (no, we are not the “no electronics” family by no means, but we can still enforce the temporary “no gadget” rule with the elementary school kids in our group).

It is perfectly acceptable for the concert-going families on the lawn to get up and leave at times, or eat and drink, as long as you do not excessively bother other patrons. (I can tell you that the girls’ dancing during performances did not seem to bother anyone).  Choose your lawn place “strategically” depending on your family’s needs. We had our blanket close to Shed, under a tree (for best shade). If it rains, you can quickly find refuge in the rear of the Shed; but some families prefer to position themselves further back in the rear of lawn, closer to play area (and the bathrooms).

If your kids need even more freedom to play than the Lawn area near the actual Concert Shed can offer (say, they would rather play ball) you can take them to the grassy area in the rear of the lawn, near the Visitors Center and in the Apple Tree lot of Ozawa Hall.

4. PARENTS CAN ENJOY SOME WINE WITH THEIR PICNIC

I love putting time and effort into preparing my special “Tanglewood” picnic basket worthy of the occasion (and it seems that a number of other people do so).  But- you can just bring a bag of chips and still fit in. It is a wonderfully accepting place.

5. EXPANSIVE GROUNDS

The quality of Tanglewood musical performances is superb, but beautiful grounds are an essential part of the atmosphere.

You can see the Berkshire Mountains and the nearby Stockbridge bowl from some areas on the Lawn.  The Visitor’s Center (rear of the lawn) offers Exhibits and information on Tanglewood history and walking tours of the grounds (call 413-637-5393  for more information) .  There are also several casual dining options, and ice-cream concession stands.  “Glass house” gift shop offers musical souvenirs and Tanglewood merchandise.

6. IT’S AFFORDABLE!

Tanglewood offers FREE lawn tickets for children and youth age 18 and younger (up to four free children’s tickets are available per adult; this offer does not extend to the “Popular Artist” series) at the Tanglewood Box Office on the day of the concert. You need to get your free tickets at the Box offices located at the entrance gates on the day of the concert. There is also special pricing for patrons under 40 on select performances.

We usually come 2.5 hours prior to performance to set up and enjoy the grounds and the pre-concert programming; they do not seem to run out of lawn tickets even if you come closer to performance time (with the exception of the 4^th of July weekend when all tickets may be sold out in advance). For advance ticket purchases, call 617-266-1200 or purchase on line HERE.

7. YOU CAN MAKE IT A DAY TRIP

From our suburb South of Boston, we have done both day trips and overnight visits to Tanglewood; it’s just over 2 hours one way for us (more in traffic, of course, but if you leave early, you should be fine). We are planning both types of trips this summer!

8. NEW PLANS/ADDED SUNDAY PROGRAMMING 

Additional weekend programming (think yoga on the lawn, walking tours and learning programs) are also part of  the Tanglewood programming.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter as I will be reporting from Tanglewood in July and August!

MORE TIPS FOR YOUR TANGLEWOOD VISIT:

1. It is always better to purchase your tickets (even lawn ones) in advance, but in summer of 2026 you should not have a problem walking in (do come early).

2. Plan to come early for best lawn seating options and to enjoy pre-concert programming. for the evening concerts;Grounds Open at 5:30pm  and on 9am for morning Rehearsals; On Sundays: at Noon for 2:30pm concert (check the timing for special events). Prelude concerts at 6pm are included as part of your evening 8 pm concert (typically on Saturdays).

Saturday Morning Rehearsals begin at 10:30am, and generally last 2-3 hours. There is a pre-concert talk at 9:30am for each rehearsal, which is a lecture or interview that features information about the rehearsal’s program. We also offer Yoga on the Lawn starting at 10:15am

3. Cooking and open flames are prohibited.

4. In the event of severe weather, patrons will be directed to shelters (no refunds offered).

5. Umbrellas are now permitted (and small open-sided canopies) to shade from the sun (no stakes over 6″ in length, or canopies of more than 6′ square or umbrellas exceeding 4′ in diameter. )

6. No pets (except for service animals) are allowed on Tanglewood property.

For more things to do in the beautiful Berkshires with kids, check out this Post.

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