• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Daytona Beach Blog

Daytona Beach Florida Vacation Condominium Rentals

  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • Condos
    • Daytona Beach Resort & CC
    • Hawaiian Inn Resort
    • Ocean Walk Resort
    • Wyndham’s Timeshare Condos
  • Book It!
  • Dining
  • Activities
  • Events
  • About

Daytona Beach Bandshell

February 22, 2009 by Renata 3 Comments

The Daytona Beach Bandshell

bandshell7

History

Taken from :: http://www.bandshell.org/history.php

As early as 1921, a group of local residents began discussing ideas for improving what had become a run down section of Daytona Beach’s oceanfront. The Bandshell is the result . It was built as a community-use project by the Federal Government Works Progress Administration (WPA) designed to stimulate the economy during the depression.  It cost the city $84,000 and the Federal Government $184,000. Construction of the 48′ x114′ natural coquina rock structure began in September 1936 and continued through 1938. However, by July 1937 enough had been completed so that, with great fanfare, a dedication ceremony could take place. The sound system, which had arrived in early June and was installed by engineers from RCA, proved state-of-the-art for that time.  Sound was evenly distributed throughout the venue to the delight of the audience.  In addition, five microphones rested on the bandshell platform, which were for future used of live radio broadcasts.  

The Bandshell, with seating of 4,000, opened with a bang on July 4, 1937 sharing front page with headlines of Amelia Earhart’ s disappearance and a picture of the Dionne quintuplets.  A record crowd of 25,000 was on hand in the city for motorcycle races on the beach, a baseball game in the ballpark, a parade on Beach Street, and the Bandshell Concert. The festivities continued onJuly 5th with another parade, and Bandshell activities including the Municipal Band, bathing beauty contest, vaudeville and boardwalk carnival dance.   “Miss Daytona Beach of 1937” was crowned on stage at the Bandshell at 11:00 PM.  For decades, it stood at the center of Downtown Daytona Beach.  Once the City Band and Beauty Pageant ended, the Bandshell fell into disuse and disrepair.

bandshell9

The Daytona Beach Beachshell is a on the ocean and a perfect spot for watching free concerts and fireworks that are launched from the pier on Saturday evenings in the summer.

boardwalk-bandshell

The AMA 200 monument can be seen here to the south and the restaurnat on Main StreetPier can be seen in the distance. The Band Shell is the center piece of the Board Walk in Daytona and it is frequently used for events such as the National Collegiate Cheerleading Competition, craft shows and free concerts.

coquina

Here is a close up of one of the ornate coquina walls at Mai Tais at Ocean Walk Center.  What is  Coquina you ask….??

Coquina (“co-KEEN-a”) is a sedimentary rock composed chiefly of shell fragments. Because shells are made of calcium carbonate, coquina is formally a limestone. It’s not common, but when you see it you want to have the name handy. Coquina is the Spanish word for cockleshells or shellfish. Coquina forms near shore, where wave action is vigorous and sorts the sediments well. Notice that the pieces are all broken and rounded by the abrasion of the waves.

bandshell11

We are in our condo at Ocean Walk – looking at the bandshell and Boardwalk

boardwal_ow

Beyond you can see the AMA monument and an edge of the Hilton.

To find upcoming events we recommend this site::

http://www.daytonabandshell.com/upcoming.html

 

 

signature-daytona-beach-blog

Related

Filed Under: Daytona Beach Activities, Daytona Beach BoardWalk, Daytona Beach History

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Serria Moore says

    September 27, 2009 at 8:57 am

    Do you know of any concerts that will be hosted here during October 4-9. I would greatly appreciate this information. Thank You.

    Reply
  2. Alice Grant says

    March 26, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Would you have a Photo and article on Miss Daytona Beach of 1938. She is my sister-in-law and my husband and I would like a copy of the photo and article. Please send any reply or the article to my email address. Thank you so much

    Alice Grant

    Reply
    • Alice Grant says

      January 9, 2013 at 11:44 am

      My sister-in-law Virginia won the Miss Daytona Beach Title of 1938 and we would like to have the article with the picture emailed to me. I have requested this before and received no answer. Will pay if necessary, for your help.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog.
I own and rent condos on Daytona Beach.
I am trying to chronicle my adventures while providing vacation planning information.
I would love to add your reviews and photos.

Need More Info?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for our Newsletter!

Privacy Policy

Categories

  • Daytona Beach
    • Daytona Beach Activities
      • Cars and Racing
      • Kayak-ing
      • Shopping
    • Daytona Beach BoardWalk
    • Daytona Beach Deals
    • Daytona Beach Entertainment
    • Daytona Beach History
    • Daytona Beach People to Know
    • Daytona Beach Photography
      • Daytona Beach Sunrise
    • Daytona Beach Real Estate
    • Daytona Beach Travel Information
      • Daytona Independent Travel Reviews
    • Daytona Beach Weather
    • Nature
    • Neighboring Beach Communities
    • Neighboring Mainland Commuities
  • Daytona Beach Condos
  • Daytona Beach Resorts
  • Daytona Beach Special Events
    • Bike Week
    • Biketoberfest
    • Daytona 500
    • Spring Break
    • Turkey Rod Run
  • Daytona Beach Vacation Rentals
    • Daytona Beach Resort & CC
      • 1 Bedroom
      • Studios
    • Hawaiian Inn Resort
      • 1 Bedroom
      • Studio
    • Ocean Walk Resort
      • 1 Bedroom
      • 2 Bedroom Lock Out
      • 2-3 Bedroom Lock Out
      • 3 Bedroom
    • Wyndham's Ocean Walk Resort – Timeshare Condos
      • Timeshare Condos
        • 1 Bedrooms
        • 2 Bedroom Condos
        • 3 Bedroom Condos
  • Dining Restaurants
    • Breakfast
    • Restaurant Reviews
      • DBNJ- Reviews
      • Renata's Reviews
  • Love the Ocean
  • New Symrna Beach
  • Personal
    • Audio Books
    • Renata's Perpectives
  • Quotes
  • Uncategorized

Browse the Archives

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • © 2025 Vacation Daytona. All Rights Reserved.
  • Web Design by Moxie Design Studios
Scroll Up