Freeman Arts Pavilion
The beaches' big ticketed stage — clear-bag rules, free parking, and a free kids' series.
31806 Lakeview Dr, Selbyville, DE 19975
Hours
Hours not posted
Last checked 2026-08-21
- Cost
- Ticketed — price varies by performance adult · Ticketed, same as adults, except at the shows where kids 12 and under are free child
- Best for
- Depends entirely on the show
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Typical visit
- Varies by performance — the venue doesn't publish run times. Gates open at 5:45 p.m. for evening shows (9:30 a.m. for 10 a.m. performances), and they recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before the time on your ticket, so budget the evening rather than a set number of hours.
Outdoor amphitheatre with a free young-audience series and stroller-tolerant rules; there is nothing here without a performance.
The Quick Version
- • Ticketed, outdoor, rain or shine. Prices vary by show and only freemanarts.org is an authorized seller — eight tickets max per event.
- • Kids under 2 who are worn or in an adult's lap don't need a ticket. Kids 12 and under are free at specific shows, listed at freemanarts.org/events/12--under-free.
- • Parking is free but limited, with an off-site Park and Ride at 36258 Zion Church Road and The Wave shuttle every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. Arrive early or plan on the shuttle.
- • Clear-bag venue, cashless, no outside food or drink — not even a sealed water bottle. Diaper bags are allowed and get searched.
- • Strollers and blankets are fine. Gates open 5:45 p.m. for evening shows; free sensory kits are at the Merchandise Window.
Best Ages
Depends entirely on the show
Plan For
Varies by performance — the venue doesn't publish run times. Gates open at 5:45 p.m. for evening shows (9:30 a.m. for 10 a.m. performances), and they recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before the time on your ticket, so budget the evening rather than a set number of hours.
Adults
Ticketed — price varies by performance
Kids
Ticketed, same as adults, except at the shows where kids 12 and under are free
What to Expect
Freeman Arts Pavilion is the largest ticketed performing-arts venue near the Delaware beaches, run by the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation in Selbyville and supported in part by a Delaware Division of the Arts grant. The programming is broad — national touring music, ballet, dance, and hands-on arts workshops — so the experience depends almost entirely on which night you pick.
The logistics are more parent-friendly than most venues this size, but they're strict, and it's worth reading them before you're standing in a security line. It's a clear-bag venue: one clear plastic or vinyl bag no larger than 13" x 15" (Ziplocs count), or a small bag no bigger than 4.5" x 6.5" with one pocket. Diaper bags and medically necessary items are allowed and get searched. No outside food or drink at all — not even a sealed water bottle. Everyone passes through metal detectors. The whole venue is cashless; if you only have cash, there's a kiosk near the Main Entrance that converts it dollar-for-dollar to a prepaid Mastercard with a $20 minimum and no fee, though the card starts losing $4.95 a month if you don't use it within 91 days.
Seating depends on your ticket. Reserved Seating comes with a chair; General Admission does not, and you'll want to bring a collapsible chair — max 20 inches from ground to seat and 36 inches wide, canopy down once the show starts. If you're picking a number of tickets rather than a specific seat, you're buying GA.
The family-specific wins: kids under 2 in arms don't need a ticket, select shows are free for kids 12 and under, strollers and blankets are allowed, and the free Young Audience Series runs on the Lower Lawn Stage each summer from June through September. Freeman is also a KultureCity sensory-inclusive certified venue — free sensory kits with noise-reduction headphones, strobe-canceling glasses, fidget toys, and non-verbal cue cards are at the Merchandise Window by the Box Office, and weighted lap pads can be borrowed.
Parking is free but genuinely limited. Arrive early for the on-site lots or plan on the Park and Ride off Zion Church Road with The Wave shuttle. Don't park at the shopping centers; they tow.
One thing we still can't tell you: how much shade there is, and whether the family restrooms have changing tables. Neither is posted.
Who It's Best For
This is a general-audience performing-arts venue, not a kids' attraction, so the age fit comes from the calendar rather than the place. The venue does make real accommodations for families: strollers and blankets are allowed, diaper bags get through security, kids under 2 in arms don't need a ticket, and select shows are free for kids 12 and under. The free Young Audience Series on the Lower Lawn Stage runs June through September and is aimed squarely at children. The dance and workshop programming — First State Ballet Theatre, Footworks' Keeping the Beat!, Creating Whimsical Masterpieces with John Donato — is where younger kids fit on the main stage. The rock and blues bills are teen-and-up nights.
Highlights
The free Young Audience Series
Families with young kidsA free children's program on the Lower Lawn Stage each summer, June through September. The Lower Lawn also hosts free pre-show sets before select main-stage performances, starting when the gates open.
Sensory-inclusive certified
Kids who find loud shows hardFreeman is KultureCity certified. Free sensory kits — noise-reduction headphones, strobe light-canceling glasses, fidget toys, non-verbal cue cards — are at the Merchandise Window by the Box Office, and weighted lap pads are available to borrow.
Shows where kids get in free
Ages 12 and underChildren under 2 worn or in a lap never need a ticket, and the venue maintains a running list of 2026 performances where kids 12 and under are free at freemanarts.org/events/12--under-free.
Real food, ordered from your seat
All agesThe Canteen does burgers, chicken fingers, salads and wraps with vegan and gluten-free options; The Grove is a food-truck area with its own seating. Order from your phone starting at 5:30 p.m. and skip the line.
What to Skip with Little Ones
- • Any show where you'd need to bring your own snacks and water — outside food and drink are flatly prohibited, sealed bottles included.
- • A General Admission ticket without chairs. GA means no seat is provided; you're bringing a collapsible chair or sitting on a blanket.
- • Arriving at showtime. Metal detectors, a limited lot, and a shuttle that only starts at 6 p.m. all argue for getting there early.
Logistics
Admission
Adults
Ticketed — price varies by performance
Kids
Ticketed, same as adults, except at the shows where kids 12 and under are free
Under
Free for children under 2 who are worn or seated in an adult's lap — no ticket required
The venue doesn't publish a standard price; every show is priced on its own event page. Kids 12 and under are free at specific performances, listed at https://www.freemanarts.org/events/12--under-free. Buy only at freemanarts.org — the venue names Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub, Ticketmaster and others as sites it does not recommend, and reselling is prohibited. Eight tickets max per event per person; orders over the limit are automatically refunded. All sales are final, though optional SecureMyBooking ticket protection can be added at checkout and only at checkout. Tickets are digital and must be scanned on a smartphone; you get access by text and/or email two days before the show, in the afternoon.
Getting There
Parking
Free, but limited, and the venue tells you plainly that the lots can fill before everyone arrives. On-site lots are adjacent to the pavilion, with attendants directing cars and accessible parking first-come in the lot closest to the Main Entrance. Once on-site is full, you're sent to the Park and Ride at 36258 Zion Church Road, Selbyville, where The Wave shuttle picks up starting at 6 p.m. and runs every 15 minutes; returns leave the venue every 30 minutes after show time and keep going until everyone's back at their car. A security guard monitors the off-site lot during the performance. The Wave is not wheelchair accessible, though it does accommodate other mobility limitations.
Do not park in the Bayside community or the nearby shopping centers — the venue says towing is enforced by the shopping centers. Bike racks are near the Main Entrance and biking is encouraged. Select shows add the Jolly Trolley as a paid pay-per-seat option, marked with a trolley logo on the event page.
Entrance
The pavilion is at 31806 Lakeview Drive, Selbyville, DE 19975. Note that the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation's office address — 31255 Americana Parkway — is different; navigate to Lakeview Drive. Gates open at 5:45 p.m. for evening performances (9:30 a.m. for 10 a.m. shows), or at the artist's discretion. Everyone goes through walk-through metal detectors and handheld wands, so leave time. There's a separate accessible queuing line and Accessible Lane at the Main Entrance, which is also where you should go if you have a pacemaker, defibrillator, or other internal medical device.
Parent Logistics
Strollers and blankets are both allowed — the venue says so directly. There is no designated stroller parking area, so you'll be finding your own spot. Paved pathways run through the venue with benches along the longer routes, though the newer sections include stairs; the campus map marks the accessible pathways. Diaper bags are permitted and subject to search, and they don't count against the clear-bag rule.
Yes. Accessible restrooms are on the Lower Lawn — a restroom building with stalls plus private all-gender/family restrooms. There are also accessible porta-johns on the Boardwalk and below the Boardwalk just past the Box Seats. The venue's campus map shows every restroom location; look at it before you arrive.
Not confirmed. The venue's accessibility and FAQ pages describe private all-gender/family restrooms on the Lower Lawn but never mention changing tables. Diaper bags are explicitly allowed through security.
Not confirmed. Nothing on the venue's site describes shade, and it bills itself as live performance under the stars. What it does tell you: non-aerosol sunscreen and bug spray, cooling towels, and neck or small handheld fans are all on the allowed list, and collapsible chairs with canopies are permitted as long as the canopy comes down when the show starts. Read that as sun exposure being a real consideration for the earlier hours.
Food & Snacks
Yes, and a lot of it. The Canteen on the Lower Lawn runs hot dogs, burgers, chicken fingers and fries alongside salads and wraps, with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, plus snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. The Grove is a dedicated food-truck area with its own seating and lighting — the venue has partnered with local trucks since 2016, and the lineup rotates, with the schedule posted on their social media. Concessions open when the gates do. You can order from The Canteen on your phone starting at 5:30 p.m. on performance days at freemanarts.org/onlineeats and pick it up rather than queue. Food and beverage areas are card-only.
Snack strategy: Eat there or eat before — you cannot bring your own. No outside food or drink is permitted, and that explicitly includes factory-sealed water bottles, reusable bottles and cups, coolers, and stainless steel koozies. Empty Freeman Arts refillable water bottles and wine carafes are the only exception, and soft koozies are fine. If your kids are picky, the online-ordering window at 5:30 p.m. is the move: order before the gates open and skip the line entirely.
Pro Tips
- ✓ Your tickets arrive two days before the show, in the afternoon, by text and/or email — not at purchase. Opt into SMS; the venue says text is the easiest way to get them.
- ✓ Navigate to 31806 Lakeview Drive, not the foundation's Americana Parkway address.
- ✓ Clear bag, 13" x 15" max. Diaper bags are exempt but get searched. Aerosol sunscreen and bug spray are banned; the pump kind is fine.
- ✓ Cashless venue. If you're carrying cash, the exchange kiosk near the Main Entrance turns it into a prepaid card, $20 minimum, no fee.
- ✓ Ask at the Merchandise Window for a free sensory kit or a weighted lap pad — you don't have to reserve one.
- ✓ If you need accessible parking, arrive early: it's first-come in the lot nearest the Main Entrance, and the off-site shuttle bus is not wheelchair accessible.
- ✓ Rain or shine. Only severe weather changes the plan, and the venue posts updates to its social media and website.
When to Go
Best Time to Visit
Pick by show. Ballet and dance dates are the family entry points on the main stage; the free Young Audience Series on the Lower Lawn runs each summer June through September. Come early either way — the on-site lots fill, and pre-show entertainment on the Lower Lawn starts when the gates do.
Seasonal Notes
On our calendar for late summer and early fall 2026: Almost Queen Aug 21, Creating Whimsical Masterpieces with John Donato Aug 22, an Allman Brothers at Fillmore East 55th-anniversary show Aug 25, First State Ballet Theatre Aug 27, Collective Soul Aug 30, Changes in Latitudes Sept 4, Footworks' Keeping the Beat! and Gary Clark Jr. Sept 5, and George Thorogood and the Destroyers Sept 10. The venue's own Lower Lawn schedule adds free pre-show sets: Perfect Strangers Aug 22, Britanny & Tyler Aug 27, Shortcut Sunny Sept 4, Black Dog Alley Sept 5, Mariano Mallia Sept 9, Smitty and Glenn Sept 11, Stephen Rexroth Sept 12, and Lindsay Austin Sept 19.
Rainy Day?
All performances are rain or shine, so pack for it rather than planning around it. The venue only deviates for severe weather, and posts weather updates to its social media and website. All sales are final — optional SecureMyBooking ticket protection has to be added at checkout, not later — and if a show is actually canceled, ticket buyers are notified and any refund is communicated by email.
Upcoming Events
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