Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill

The Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill is an outdoor concert and entertainment venue in Farmingville in the Town of Brookhaven. Set into the slopes of Bald Hill, the amphitheater hosts concerts, festivals, community gatherings, movie nights and other seasonal events, making it one of the principal outdoor performance venues in Suffolk County.

Located at 1 Ski Run Lane in Farmingville, the Town of Brookhaven-owned facility can accommodate several thousand guests using a combination of reserved seating and an open lawn area. The amphitheater has approximately 3,000 fixed or allocated seats, with room for thousands more on the lawn. The Town of Brookhaven describes the property as Suffolk County’s largest outdoor entertainment facility and says configurations can accommodate as many as approximately 7,500 patrons.

A Longtime Entertainment Site at Bald Hill

The amphitheater occupies a site with an unusual recreational history. Long before the present venue was constructed, Bald Hill was home to the Bald Hill Ski Bowl, a municipal skiing facility that operated on the naturally elevated terrain of central Long Island. Outdoor musical performances were also being staged at Bald Hill by the 1960s. The present amphitheater was developed on the former ski-bowl property in the late 1980s.

Its hillside setting is one of the venue’s defining features. Rather than functioning like a conventional indoor arena, the amphitheater uses the contours of Bald Hill to create an open-air performance environment with reserved seating closer to the stage and lawn seating farther back.

Over the years, the stage has welcomed performers spanning rock, pop, country, R&B and other genres. The venue’s official website lists past performers including Ringo Starr, Diana Ross, B.B. King, James Brown, Pat Benatar, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Blondie, Frankie Valli, Toby Keith, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts and Chris Stapleton, among many others.

Why the Amphitheater Has Had Several Names

Longtime Long Islanders may know the property by several different names. For many years it was simply known as the Brookhaven Amphitheater. Naming-rights agreements later resulted in a succession of sponsored names.

In 2012, the facility became the Pennysaver Amphitheater at Bald Hill. In 2018, it was renamed the Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater at Bald Hill. Catholic Health became the lead sponsor in 2023, producing the present name, Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill.

Because those sponsorship names can change while the physical venue remains the same, the property is also commonly referred to more simply as the Amphitheater at Bald Hill.

Concerts and Events

The amphitheater operates primarily as a warm-weather venue, with programming concentrated during the outdoor entertainment season. Depending on the year, its calendar can include national touring acts, tribute concerts, festivals, community celebrations, cultural events and family programming.

Unlike the much larger waterfront theater at Jones Beach, Bald Hill has a comparatively intimate layout. Its combination of reserved seating and general lawn space allows organizers to configure the property for different types of performances and community events.

Visitors should check the venue’s current calendar before traveling because programming, gate times, ticketing rules, parking charges and permitted items can vary from one event to another.

Seating

The Catholic Health Amphitheater has approximately 3,000 allocated seats along with lawn space capable of accommodating roughly 4,000 additional guests, although maximum event capacity can vary according to configuration.

Reserved seats occupy the primary viewing area facing the stage, while the lawn rises behind the seated sections. For concerts where lawn admission is offered, visitors should check the individual event rules regarding blankets, chairs and other items before arriving.

Parking and Arrival

The amphitheater is reached from Ski Run Lane in Farmingville, close to major roads serving central Suffolk County. Parking policies and parking fees are established on an event-by-event basis. The venue advises visitors to consult information for their particular show rather than assuming parking will be free.

The on-site box office is generally open on show days beginning two hours before the gates open. The venue also maintains a remote box office in Ronkonkoma for advance ticket purchases.

Bald Hill

The surrounding Bald Hill area is itself notable because it is one of Long Island’s higher natural elevations. Its slopes were suitable enough for the Town of Brookhaven to develop a public ski area there during the 1960s, an unusual chapter in Long Island recreation history.

Although the ski operation ultimately disappeared, the location’s recreation and entertainment role continued through the amphitheater. Parts of the old ski facility survived subsequent redevelopment, including the former ski lodge building.

Key Facts & Details

Current Name	Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill
Common Name	Amphitheater at Bald Hill
Location	Farmingville, New York
Address	1 Ski Run Lane, Farmingville, NY 11738
County	Suffolk County
Town	Town of Brookhaven
Venue Type	Outdoor amphitheater
Owner	Town of Brookhaven
Approximate Capacity	About 7,000 to 7,500 depending on configuration
Reserved Seating	Approximately 3,000
Lawn Capacity	Approximately 4,000
Built	Late 1980s
Former Names	Brookhaven Amphitheater; Pennysaver Amphitheater at Bald Hill; Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater
Current Naming Sponsor	Catholic Health
Primary Uses	Concerts, festivals, community events and seasonal entertainment
Official Website	Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill

The Amphitheater at Bald Hill has remained a recognizable part of central Suffolk County entertainment even as its sponsored name has changed over the years. Its hillside lawn, outdoor setting and history stretching from the former Bald Hill Ski Bowl to decades of concerts give the venue a character distinctly different from Long Island’s larger arenas and waterfront theaters, while its Farmingville location makes it an important seasonal performance destination for communities across the Town of Brookhaven and Suffolk County.