Woodminster Summer Musicals
PERFORMANCES AT
Woodminster Amphitheater
Joaquin Miller Park
3540 Sanborn Drive
Oakland, CA 94602
Woodminster Amphitheater does not have an exact address. The address listed above is the closest marked address to the amphitheater. We recommend following our directions or the park signs to locate our theater.
Getting To Us
Woodminster Amphitheater is located in the Oakland hills, one mile up the hill from the Joaquin Miller Road exit off Highway 13, in one of the East Bay's most beautiful park locations. Unfortunately, there is currently no good public transportation option for traveling to and from the Amphitheater.
The exits are clearly marked off Highway 13. Go uphill (about 8/10 of a mile) to the Woodminster sign on the left, the main entrance to the park.
From San Leandro and points south, take 580 to Highway 13 exit (Warren Freeway). Take the Joaquin Miller Road exit and turn right to go UP the hill.
From San Francisco, take 580 East to Highway 24 (toward Walnut Creek). Take this to Highway 13 SOUTH toward Hayward and follow Highway 13 until you get to the Joaquin Miller Road exit. Turn left UP the hill.
If you're getting directions online, search 3540 Sanborn Drive. The road inside the park -- not always visible on online maps -- is Sanborn Drive.
Please note that when you use GPS software to search for Woodminster Amphitheater, some maps will direct you to a spot out on Joaquin Miller Road, and you will have to walk through the park to the amphitheater. To park closer to the entrance, enter the park at Sanborn Drive and follow the directions on this page.
Parking Inside Joaquin Miller Park
Enter the park at upper Sanborn Drive, across the street from Robinson Drive. Use your GPS to search 3540 Sanborn Drive or Woodminster Amphitheater or Joaquin Miller Park. Sanborn Drive is a loop through the park, not all drivable. Lower Sanborn Drive is generally blocked by a barricade. You will see a sign and a banner with the Woodminster shows. Enter the park, passing the rec center on your left, and then (on performance nights) you'll pay a $10(cash) parking fee to a city employee. Bear left. There's a paved parking lot on your left, and a series of dirt lots on your left all the way down the hill. Disabled permit parking is in the lot directly across from the upper theater entrance, a path marked "Pedestrian Entrance," with a very limited number of places in the lower lot, #1, adjacent to the lower theater entrance, where a ramp provides access to the Box Seats.
Make sure you park legally! Some patrons have been ticketed for parking in places that may hinder others' egress.
Accessibility Parking
While there is currently no good public transportation to the Amphitheater, we have negotiated an alternative for patrons with visual impairment. Please contact Harriet for more information.
There are four paved ADA parking spaces in parking lot 1 and five in parking lot 5 that are reserved for patrons with Disabled Persons placards or plates. Additional parking for patrons with Disabled Persons placards or plates is also available in parking lot 5 due to its level access to the upper theater entrance. These additional spaces are covered with wood chips because the lot is also a dog park, which may necessitate a drop-off in a paved area. Persons with mobility devices may be dropped off near either entrance. The paved accessible parking spaces tend to fill up quickly. To get the paved spaces with the easiest access to the theater, we suggest that you arrive at least an hour before the performance, or at least 90 minutes on Saturdays. The picnic tables at the theater open two and a half hours prior to the show (5:30 for an 8:00 show).
Parking Outside Joaquin Miller Park
If you want to park on Joaquin Miller Road, you have two choices. You may park outside the main park entrance at 3300 Joaquin Miller Road and walk in from there, following the road as described above. You will walk downhill to the theater, and uphill when you're leaving.
Or you may park along the road below the theater, and walk uphill to the theater through the park. (GPS Woodminster Amphitheater)
To do this, shortly after you start driving uphill from Hwy 13, you'll see Joaquin Miller Park on your left. Features you'll notice are Joaquin Miller's white wooden house, a children's playground, and Robin Perry Field, a small softball field.
If you're coming uphill, make a legal u-turn after you see the ball field, and park along Joaquin Miller Road facing downhill. Walk into the park and you'll see a pool of water. Face uphill and you'll see a fountain, then cascades running from the back of the amphitheater downhill. Walk up the stone steps on the right hand side of the cascades. This is a short but somewhat strenuous walk; there are lots of places to stop and rest and enjoy the view along the way. (Please note that some of these water features are awaiting repair and not always running. So you may have to look for a DRY pool, a DRY fountain, a DRY cascade.)
Once you reach the parking lot behind the amphitheater, you can either enter through the "lower gate" of the theater, or if you need to pick up your tickets, continue up one more short stretch of path to the "upper gate" and the performance night box office. (The backstage box office is open only 11am - 4pm for presales.)
If you choose this route, bring a flashlight! It will be dark when you're descending the stairs after the show, and the trees will filter the moonlight.