What Levitt Pavilion Dayton does

Levitt Pavilion Dayton is a Dayton, Ohio-based nonprofit outdoor concert venue that produces a free annual concert season open to the public. It was established as part of the national Levitt Family Foundation network and is managed by the nonprofit Friends of Levitt Dayton. The venue sits at 134 South Main St. in downtown Dayton — across from the Dayton Convention Center — and spans nearly a city block with lawn capacity of 5,000-7,000 attendees. Its core offering is the Eichelberger Concert Season (June through mid-September, with the broader outdoor operating window running early April through late October), presenting a diverse genre-curated lineup spanning rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, country, funk, Celtic, reggae, soul, Latin, and R&B.

The business model is event-driven community programming, not SaaS or product sales. There is no proprietary software, API, or technology platform; the technical footprint consists of professional concert-grade sound, lighting, and staging production. Revenue is generated from five streams: corporate sponsorships (with the City of Dayton funding the Amplified Series — Rock Fest, Jazz Fest, Reggae Fest, Blues Fest — as the marquee anchor), individual donations, venue rental fees (typically starting around $3,000 per stage-show event with production crew, security, and janitorial add-ons), the ticketed UpClose secret-concert fundraising series, and patio rentals. Total operating budget is disclosed at approximately $1M, with 7 staff.

Customer segments split between (a) the general Dayton-area community attending free concerts, (b) community organizations and private renters booking events (United Way of Greater Dayton, DCDC, NCCJ, Declare Dayton, Stivers School for the Arts, Kettering Children's Choir, The Miami Valley School, private weddings), (c) educational institutions and youth through summer camps and school residencies, and (d) corporate sponsors and foundation funders (CareSource Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, Montgomery County, CD Berry Foundation, Kettering Families Foundation). Channel mix is community- and partner-driven — email newsletter, organic social, volunteer word-of-mouth, and co-programming with library/literacy and cultural organizations — with no paid acquisition or sales-led GTM. Geographic footprint is single-market (Dayton, OH), although the venue sits within a national network of 90+ Levitt cities.

Name

Levitt Pavilion Dayton

Legal name

Friends of Levitt Dayton

Website

https://levittdayton.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Levitt Pavilion Dayton is a Dayton, Ohio nonprofit outdoor concert venue, part of the national Levitt Family Foundation network, that produces a free annual concert season and earns roughly $1M annually through sponsorships, donations, venue rentals, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Live Music Venue Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor Amphitheater & Open-Air Venue Operations (MPAGALAG)

Keywords

• Outdoor concert venue
• Live music events
• Community arts programming
• Venue rental services
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide funding in exchange for branding opportunities at the venue and during concerts. Organizations such as the City of Dayton sponsor the Amplified Series (Rock Fest, Jazz Fest, Reggae Fest, Blues Fest).
2. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support free concerts. The website features a donate button and donor acknowledgment section.
3. Venue Rental Fees: Community organizations, companies, and individuals rent the facility for events. Rental fees start around $3,000 for a typical stage show open to the public, with additional costs for production crew, security, fencing, and janitorial staff.
4. Ticketed Fundraising Events (UpClose): A ticketed secret concert series called UpClose serves as a fundraising mechanism. Attendees purchase tickets without knowing the venue (until the day before) or the artist (until the performance).
5. Patio Rentals: Rentals of individual patios for already-scheduled events, as a lower-tier rental option.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Levitt Pavilion Dayton is a nonprofit outdoor concert venue that produces and hosts a free annual concert series (the Eichelberger Concert Season, June through mid-September) featuring diverse musical genres at a downtown Dayton stage and lawn seating for 5,000–7,000 attendees. Beyond free public concerts, the organization rents the pavilion facility, individual patios, and runs ticketed UpClose fundraising concerts, summer music/creative-arts day camps, and pop-up outreach concerts. All programming and operations are managed by the nonprofit Friends of Levitt Dayton as part of the Levitt Family Foundation national network.

Product overview

Levitt Pavilion Dayton is a nonprofit outdoor concert venue that operates primarily as a free concert series, offering a diverse lineup of musical genres throughout its annual Eichelberger Concert Season from June to mid-September. The venue supplements its core free concert programming with several add-on offerings: Levitt UpClose (a ticketed secret concert fundraising series), Levitt Lawn Lit Club (book discussions paired with concerts), and a summer day camp program. The venue also offers rental options for the pavilion, individual patios, and hosts pop-up concerts throughout the year to expand community access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Concert Series (Eichelberger Concert Season) Season-long series of free, open-to-the-public outdoor concerts held on the Levitt Pavilion stage in downtown Dayton (134 South Main St.), open to all community members with a lawn capacity of 5,000–7,000 attendees; presented by Friends of Levitt Dayton as part of the Levitt Family Foundation national network.
• Pavilion Rental Rental of the full Levitt Pavilion venue and grounds to local nonprofit organizations, schools, companies, and private individuals for their own events. Includes use of the professional stage, sound, and lighting infrastructure with a lawn capacity of 5,000–7,000 attendees.
• Levitt UpClose Ticketed Fundraising Concerts Premium ticketed fundraising concert series where attendees purchase tickets without knowing the venue until the day before the event or the performing artist until they take the stage. Offered to individual ticket buyers seeking a differentiated live-music experience while generating supplemental revenue for the nonprofit.
• Patio Rental Rental of individual patio spaces at the Levitt Pavilion for already-scheduled events, providing a smaller-scale, lower-priced rental option than full pavilion rental. Aimed at community organizations and individuals seeking a dedicated hospitality area at an existing concert or event.
• Signature Levitt Music & Creative Arts Summer Day Camp Week-long summer day camp for students held at the Levitt Pavilion venue in partnership with Signature Educational Solutions. Participants write songs and develop creative and production skills, then perform at a culminating showcase concert at the venue.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $1M annual operating budget supporting free concerts, artist payments, and professional production
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Levitt Family Foundation / Levitt FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Levitt Pavilion in Dayton is part of a national network of changemakers and nonprofits dedicated to strengthening the social fabric of communities through free, live music in outdoor public spaces. Levitt Dayton is managed, programmed, and supported by the nonprofit Friends of Levitt Dayton. In 2026, the Levitt Family Foundation is supporting over 900 free concerts in 90+ towns and cities across the country, bringing joy to over a million people. The Foundation provides operational support, programming guidance, and network resources.
• Dayton Metro LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Levitt Lawn Lit Club series, a new program combining books, conversation, and free live music in downtown Dayton. Each gathering features a themed book discussion before a concert at the venue. No registration required.
• Brunner Literacy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Levitt Lawn Lit Club series alongside Dayton Metro Library, combining literacy programming with free live music concerts.
• Signature Educational SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the week-long Signature Levitt Music & Creative Arts Summer Day Camp held at the venue in July. Students write songs and develop creative and production skills to perform at a showcase concert.
• University of DaytonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UD New Horizons Music Program and Dayton Celebration Chorus perform at the venue, bringing community members together through music. The UD New Horizons Music Program welcomes adults of all experience levels for musical learning and performance.
• Home of Urban Creative ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the annual Juneteenth Commemoration, Celebration, and Concert. Presented in partnership for the 6th consecutive year in 2026, this free community celebration centers education, culture, remembrance, and joy through an evening of performances, interactive experiences, and live music.
• City of DaytoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCity of Dayton sponsors the Amplified Series at Levitt Pavilion, which includes Rock Fest, Jazz Fest, Reggae Fest, and Blues Fest. The city supports the free concert programming as part of its community and cultural investment strategy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater: Outdoor amphitheater within a nonprofit botanical garden in Grand Rapids, MI that runs a ticketed summer concert series. Comparable nonprofit governance, outdoor venue operations, and season-driven programming, but at a larger institutional scale.
• Koka Booth Amphitheatre: Municipally operated outdoor amphitheater in Cary, NC hosting a summer concert season plus rental events. Broader incumbent offering ticketed concerts rather than free, but comparable venue operations, civic funding model, and event-rental GTM.

Others

• Another Planet Entertainment: Independent live entertainment producer that operates the Fox Theater Oakland and historically managed Levitt Pavilion Berkeley. Adjacent ecosystem player in the outdoor amphitheater and nonprofit-venue production space; useful for production-cost benchmarking.

Direct peers

• Levitt Pavilion Denver: Sister Levitt network venue in Denver, CO with the same free-concert and nonprofit-affiliate model. Useful comparable for benchmarking sponsorship monetization and community programming approaches in a larger metro.
• Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles: Direct peer operating a free outdoor concert venue in MacArthur Park as part of the same Levitt network. Same national affiliation, same free-admission GTM, same nonprofit governance model. Differ only in scale and geography.
• Levitt Pavilion Sioux Falls: Mid-sized Levitt network venue operated as a free outdoor concert series by a local nonprofit. Comparable scale and operating model to Dayton, useful for benchmarking season length, donor mix, and rental revenue.
• Fraze Pavilion: Outdoor amphitheater in Kettering, OH (Dayton suburb) operated by the City of Kettering. Closest geographic competitor for outdoor concert audiences, sponsors, and rental clients in the Dayton metro, with a ticketed rather than free model.
• Levitt Pavilion Bethlehem: Historic Levitt Pavilion venue in Bethlehem, PA, run by a local nonprofit under the same Levitt network. Comparable free concert programming, sponsorship mix, and community-driven operating model in a similar mid-sized Rust Belt market context.
• Levitt Pavilion Arlington: Another Levitt Pavilion location operated as a free outdoor concert venue by a local nonprofit affiliate within the same national Levitt network. Operates an essentially identical programming, sponsorship, and venue-rental model in the Arlington, TX metro, making it the most structurally comparable peer.
• Rose Music Center at The Heights: Outdoor amphitheater in Huber Heights, OH (Dayton metro) hosting a ticketed summer concert season. Competes with Levitt Pavilion Dayton for the same local concert audience, sponsors, and artist routing decisions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/levittdayton
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/levitt-pavilion-dayton

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Levitt Pavilion Dayton