Every summer most major cities have a symphony in the park. This outdoor symphony is a fun and inexpensive opportunity for your children to listen to live classical music. If you take your children to a paid symphony in a building, they will have to sit perfectly still and be completely silent. On the other hand, if you are at an outdoor symphony, birds are chirping, a car goes by, and an airplane zooms across the sky. The music is broadcast over speakers, and it is loud enough to cover a crying baby or a child telling you he has to go to the bathroom. (There are usually port-a-potties.)
You will want to bring a picnic dinner and a blanket to sit on. Bring lots of snacks. You might bring canvas chairs, at least for the adults. We brought a wagon to put all our stuff on, including an igloo with ice in it for cold food and drinks. Some evenings can be cold, so you will need to bring a light sweatshirt for each person, too. And if it’s scorching hot, you can use the ice to cool you down.
During the intermission, I took a couple of my children down to look at the instruments up close. We were able to talk to some of the professional musicians. Then I went back to my husband and took the other two children down. That way all our stuff wouldn’t get stolen.
I was so proud of my children when they recognized some of the famous classical music. They mentioned the different musicians. We munched on different foods throughout the evening. It’s fun to bring your own glow sticks from the dollar store for after it gets dark. Sometimes the city will even include fireworks at the end!
