Experience · Sonoma, Sonoma County

Broadway Under the Stars pre-show picnic

by Transcendence Theatre Company

Starts in Sonoma$$

The short answer

Sonoma's summer Broadway-under-the-stars company builds each evening around a pre-show picnic on the lawn, with local food vendors, pre-ordered picnic boxes and winery pours before the curtain. The 2026 season moved from Jack London State Park to the Field of Dreams in downtown Sonoma. Price: Pre-show picnic access included with every ticket; food is bought from vendors or pre-ordered.

Checked September 2026 from transcendencetheatre.orgStated on the venue's own website

Details

Price: Pre-show picnic access included with every ticket; food is bought from vendors or pre-ordered
Food on site: Nightly food vendors and pre-order picnic boxes (2026 partners have included HopMonk Tavern, Spread Kitchen, Allikia Eatery and Sonoma Family Meal's SABOR food truck), wine poured by local wineries (Benziger is the season sponsor), and tastings from Sonoma purveyors. Gold tickets add a lounge and dinner boxes.
Groups: Reserved seating for the show; call the box office to reserve a picnic table.
Dogs: No dogs except credentialed service animals.
Hours: Pre-show picnic from 5pm on performance nights
Season: Summer season (2026: June–August, including Mamma Mia! Aug 13–30); holiday shows run indoors in December
Prices: Tickets: General Reserved $35–$65; Premium $95–$125; Gold $135–$175
House rules: Outside alcohol is prohibited, but you may bring non-alcoholic drinks. No lawn chairs (seats have cushions) and no dogs except service animals. Wine sales stop during the show, with a two-drink limit at intermission.

What to expect

A picnic-festival atmosphere on the lawn of Sonoma's Field of Dreams ballpark, a few blocks from the Plaza. It opens at 5pm before an outdoor Broadway-style show, with live music and cast members mingling. Picnic tables can be reserved through the box office.

Lawn
Picnic tables
Live music
Restrooms

Good for: Groups · Romantic · Families

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About Transcendence Theatre Company – Broadway Under the Stars pre-show picnic

Pre-show lawn picnic from 5pm for all ticket holders
Pre-order picnic boxes from local restaurants up to 48 hours ahead
2026 venue: Field of Dreams, walking distance from Sonoma Plaza (no longer Jack London SHP)
Partner hotels offer discount codes with tickets

More picnic spots nearby

Park

Depot Park

Sonoma· 0.1 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

A relaxed neighborhood park a short walk from the Plaza, with bocce and petanque courts, a playground and public restrooms next to the picnic tables. It's the downtown option for dog owners, since leashed dogs are welcome here but banned from the Plaza, and the same 11:30 a.m.-to-sunset drinking window applies.

Depot Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: yes
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: Yes
Fee: Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market · 0.1 mi

Details

Park

Sonoma State Historic Park - General Vallejo's Home (Lachryma Montis)

Sonoma· 0.3 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationNo alcoholDogs OK

The quiet, shaded picnic grove at General Vallejo's Victorian-era estate is a peaceful escape a short walk or bike ride from the Plaza, paired with a $3 look inside the furnished house. It is strictly a food-only picnic: State Parks prohibits alcohol throughout Sonoma State Historic Park, so save the wine for the Plaza.

Sonoma State Historic Park - General Vallejo's Home (Lachryma Montis)

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: no
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: Outside
Fee: No fee listed

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market · 0.3 mi

Details

Take-out lunch on a wooden bench, with picnickers in lawn chairs under the shade trees behind, on Sonoma Plaza

Park

Sonoma Plaza (Plaza Park)

Sonoma· 0.4 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedShade

Sonoma's historic central square is the easiest picnic in the valley: grab food from the shops around it, claim a shady patch of lawn, and legally open a bottle between 11:30 a.m. and sunset. It is lively, free and walkable to dozens of tasting rooms, with playgrounds and a duck pond for kids, but dogs are not allowed.

Sonoma Plaza (Plaza Park)

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: yes
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: No
Fee: Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma's Tuesday Night Market · 0.0 mi

Details

Park

Maxwell Farms Regional Park

Sonoma· 1 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationNo alcoholDogs OK

Sonoma's main county park is a practical family picnic stop a few minutes west of the Plaza, with a big accessible playground, flush-toilet restrooms and flat, shaded trails along Sonoma Creek. It's the wrong place for a wine picnic, though: alcohol is allowed only inside the reserved Maxwell Glen group area with a permit.

Maxwell Farms Regional Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: no
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: Yes
Fee: $8/vehicle

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma Market · 0.8 mi

Details

All picnic spots in Sonoma Valley →

Frequently asked questions

Are dogs allowed at Transcendence Theatre Company – Broadway Under the Stars pre-show picnic?

No dogs except credentialed service animals.

Sources & accuracy

We last checked this listing in September 2026 (freshest source: 2026 season pages accessed Sept 2026). Policies change — especially for groups and holidays — so confirm with Transcendence Theatre Company – Broadway Under the Stars pre-show picnic before you go. How we verify.

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