Rose Bowl Tavern
The Rose Bowl Tavern is a honky tonk and dive bar at 106 N Race Street in downtown Urbana, open every day until 2am with live music seven nights a week. From May through October a tented patio with its own outdoor stage joins the dim, seat-filled room inside. The bar serves no food but welcomes take-out, and a city parking lot sits right beside it.
Before you go
- Indoor or outdoor
- Both: an indoor bar year round, and a tented patio with an outdoor stage from May to October
- Official site
- rosebowltavern.com
- Next festival here
- PYGMALION, Expected September
Worth knowing before you go
- City meters are enforced Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and free on Saturdays and Sundays.
- There is no food, so pick up take-out on the way; you are welcome to bring it in.
- The patio, its big tent and the outdoor stage only run from May through October.
- PYGMALION performances here are 18+ to enter, and under-18s must come with a legal parent or guardian.
- On Saturdays and Sundays the bar opens at 3pm or an hour before the first event, whichever comes first.
Festivals here
Venue basics: City lot next door, meters free at weekends · No kitchen, bring your own take-out · Tented patio stage May to October.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You want a small, seventy-year-old honky tonk with music every night
- You are happy eating take-out at a bar table
- You like a tented patio show on a summer evening
Think twice if
- You are under 18 and heading to a PYGMALION show
- You want a sit-down meal at the venue
- You are counting on the patio stage outside May to October
Getting there and parking
The Rose Bowl is at 106 N Race Street in downtown Urbana. A city parking lot sits next to the bar on the north side, and there is a large parking garage one block east and one block south at the corner of Broadway and Main. City meters are enforced Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and are free on Saturdays and Sundays.
The bar is open every day until 2am. Monday to Friday it opens at 3pm; on Saturdays and Sundays it opens at 3pm or one hour before the first event.
Festival-specific · PYGMALIONThe festival recommends the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) buses for getting between venues, and points drivers to Mobile Meter parking around the venues and the lots of downtown Urbana.
Accessibility
Festival-specific · PYGMALIONFor festival shows, email [email protected] before the event with what you need and the festival will arrange accommodation as best it can.
Confirm your specific needs with the venue before you travel (rosebowltavern.com).
Camping
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at the Rose Bowl. The venue's own pages are the place to check: rosebowltavern.com.
Food, water and what you can bring
The tavern has no kitchen, but you are welcome to bring take-out in with you.
The bar runs 12 draft beer taps, a whiskey and tequila selection and a seasonal cocktail menu, with ciders, seltzers, and CBD and non-alcoholic drinks alongside.
Sound and sensory
Live music runs seven days a week, a mix of early shows, evening shows, free shows and ticketed shows.
Quick answers
Where do I park for the Rose Bowl Tavern?
In the city lot next to the bar on the north side, or the garage one block east and one block south at Broadway and Main. Meters are enforced Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and free at weekends.
Does the Rose Bowl Tavern serve food?
No. There is no kitchen, but you are welcome to bring take-out in with you.
What time does the Rose Bowl Tavern open?
It opens at 3pm Monday to Friday, and at 3pm or one hour before the first event on Saturdays and Sundays. It stays open until 2am every day.
Is there an outdoor stage at the Rose Bowl Tavern?
Yes, from May through October. The patio has a big tent, plenty of seating and an outdoor stage for events; the rest of the year everything happens inside.
Are PYGMALION shows at the Rose Bowl Tavern all ages?
No. Festival performances here are 18+ to enter, and anyone under 18 must attend with a legal parent or guardian.
Is the Rose Bowl Tavern wheelchair accessible?
We don't yet have confirmed information about accessibility at the Rose Bowl. The venue's own pages at rosebowltavern.com are the place to check, and for PYGMALION shows you can email [email protected] ahead of the event.
Can I get to the Rose Bowl Tavern by bus?
For PYGMALION, the festival recommends the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) buses for moving between venues.
A little history
The Rose Bowl Tavern has been a music venue, honky tonk and dive bar in Urbana since 1948. Inside it is a no-frills room with lots of seating and dim lighting; from May through October an outdoor patio with a big tent, plenty of seating and an outdoor stage takes over for events. Live music runs seven days a week, a mix of early shows, evening shows, free shows and ticketed shows.
PYGMALION stages performances at the Rose Bowl each festival. They are 18+ to enter, anyone under 18 must attend with a legal parent or guardian, and each venue handles its own ticketing at the door.