In Delaware County, summer has a soundtrack.
It’s the sound of lawn chairs snapping open on a hillside, picnic blankets unfurling across the grass, and live music carrying over Rose Tree Park as the sun drops behind the trees.
The Rose Tree Summer Festival has returned to the Media area, turning one of Delco’s most familiar gathering places into an open-air music venue five nights a week.
The stage is the amphitheater inside Rose Tree Park, a natural bowl of green that has been drawing crowds to the hillside for half a century.
A Delco Tradition Since 1975
The concert series goes back to 1975, when free music first filled that amphitheater.
With rolling lawn, mature trees, and historic stone buildings, the park made a natural home for a public concert tradition, and the crowds kept coming back.
Five decades later, in its 51st year, the festival is less a summer schedule than a seasonal habit, one of the things Delco does every year without fail.
When and Where
This year’s run stretches from June 17 through August 16, with concerts held Wednesday through Sunday. Evening shows start at 7:30 PM.
Admission is free, and that’s always been the heart of the festival’s appeal.
For families, retirees, couples, and longtime regulars, it is a night out with no ticket to buy.
Pack blankets, lawn chairs, and a few snacks, find a spot on the grass, and settle in for music under an open sky.
The July Lineup
Over the season, the stage hosts classical, big band, Motown, rock, country, Broadway-style revues, children’s acts, and tribute bands built for nearly every kind of listener.
July shows that range best, with music nearly every night the gates are open.
The month opens with the Chester County Concert Band on July 1 and Big Band from the Valley on July 2, then a 10 AM children’s show from Steve Pullara & Cool Beans on July 3.
From there, the calendar barely lets up. Here’s the rest of the July schedule:
- July 5: Smoke’s Ebonys & Raising Kane Band
- July 8: Jimmy & the Parrots
- July 9: Four Lean Hounds
- July 10: Rumbaile
- July 11: Jexxa & the Antiheroes (Taylor Swift tribute)
- July 12: Chico’s Vibe
- July 15: Bad Medicine: Bon Jovi Tribute
- July 16: Eric Mintel Quartet
- July 17: Lonnie Shields Band
- July 18: Upper Darby Summer Stage’s Shooting Stars
- July 19: 22 Park Avenue Swing Band
- July 22: Angry Young Band (music of Billy Joel)
- July 23: The Rockdale Boys
- July 24: Del’s Groove
- July 25: Gilligan Yacht Rock
- July 26: Cool Confusion
- July 29: The Hot Club of Philadelphia
- July 30: Echoes of Laurel Canyon
- July 31: FuseBox
A Crowd for Every Night
That lineup explains the crowd.
On any given night, the hillside holds grandparents who have been coming for years, young families introducing kids to the tradition, fans who drove in for one specific tribute act, and neighbors out for nothing more than a good summer evening.
Families with young children have a reason to come early.
The park’s ADA-inclusive playground, opened in 2023, has a swing zone, a climbing tower, a spinning zone, and a dedicated area for ages 2 to 5.
It closes at 7:20 PM on show nights, so late afternoon is the window to let kids burn off energy before the music starts.
Before You Go
A few notes before you visit.
Concerts are weather permitting, and there are no rain dates. Alcohol and smoking are prohibited throughout the park, and pets must stay outside the amphitheater in the hilltop seating areas.
The festival stays free in part because the community keeps it that way.
The county welcomes donations of any amount to help cover operating costs, a small way for regulars to give back to something they return to year after year.
Make a Night of It in Media
To stretch the night out, downtown Media is minutes away.
State Street is lined with options for dinner, drinks, or dessert, from casual restaurants and pubs to ice cream, gelato, and water ice.
Check out tasty options like Brick & Brew, Off the Rail, State Street Pub, Scooped Ice Cream & Gelato, and Rita’s of Media for an after-concert bite and treat.
Whether the draw is a favorite band, a children’s show, a picnic on the hill, or simply the feeling of being part of something the whole county shows up for, the Rose Tree Summer Festival remains one of Delaware County’s sweetest summer constants.
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