SIDNEY

Sidney is a rural town in the Belgrade Lakes region that hosts two distinct outdoor music venues on the shores of Messalonskee Lake. Bowl in the Pines, one of the largest open-shell outdoor stages in the country with a 7,000-plus capacity, and Snow Pond Center for the Arts share a lakeside campus that draws regional and national acts.

Bowl in the Pines hosts concerts and festivals in its massive outdoor amphitheater, originally built in 1930 and surrounded by woods on three sides with the lake behind the stage. Snow Pond Center for the Arts operates on a 40-acre lakeside campus, presenting public events alongside the New England Music Camp for students. Alumni Hall on the Snow Pond campus provides an additional indoor performance space.

Sidney is not a town you stumble into — you come here for an event. The outdoor setting and lake backdrop make Bowl in the Pines a distinctive concert experience, and Snow Pond's educational mission gives the campus a purposeful, creative atmosphere.

Tip: Both venues are on the east shore of Messalonskee Lake. Events are seasonal and tickets for Bowl in the Pines shows should be purchased in advance.

Neighborhoods: Messalonskee Lake Shore • Belgrade Lakes Region