Fans of al fresco dining and free outdoor concerts should head for Delaware County, which draws more than 100,000 people each summer for Dining Under the Stars and its famous Rose Tree Park Music Festival that features 40 free twilight concerts.

Both summer-long events take place in the county seat of Media. The first, Dining Under the Stars, takes place every Wednesday night when its “restaurant row” of globally inspired bistros and cafés along State Street closes to traffic – and opens for dinner.

Now through mid-September (weather permitting), visitors will have more than a dozen restaurants to choose from, traveling the world with menu fare from China and Japan, to Greece, Thailand, Ireland, France, America, and more – all while enjoying the food, brews, and spirits of this friendly town.

Before or after dinner, let the moonlight and soft glow of street lamps inspire a casual stroll along streets lined with quaint stores, boutiques, and gift shops, or savor an ice cream cone or water ice in the town square. Reservations are strongly suggested at these participating restaurants.

The Rose Tree Park Summer Festival began in 1975, when the lure of stirring music by Symphony Orchestras, as well as Mummers, Motown, and Rock & Roll bands brought thousands of people to the second-largest county-owned park in Delco.

Today, families and friends still stream in every Wednesday through Sunday evening for the 7:30 show, bringing blankets or lawn chairs. It is the quintessential summer experience, reminiscent of the days of drive-in movies. People chat, mingle, and munch on treats while children toss Frisbees and play. As 7:30 approaches, even the crickets seem to quiet down while musicians tune up their instruments and children race back to their blankets.

This year, the entertainment kicks off June 12 and runs through mid-August, providing people from all over the region with top-notch entertainment of all kinds, from Classical to Cajun, Jazz to Broadway, Doo Wop to Rock and Pop, and everything in between. There are also two morning children’s shows (on June 20 and June 26) at 10 AM. Click here for the Rose Tree Park Festival’s schedule of entertainment.

Admission and parking are free. Light concessions are available for sale, and picnics are welcome. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited throughout the park, and for everyone’s safety and comfort, pets and smoking must remain outside the amphitheater. Guests with leashed dogs are able to enjoy the shows from the periphery.

The park is located at 1671 North Providence Road in Media.

There are no rain dates for the concerts that are cancelled due to inclement weather. Cancellation decisions are made right up until show time. At that time, there will be a recorded message on the parks phone (610-891-4455) indicating the show is cancelled. Find more exciting summer events at Destination Delco, the county’s tourism agency, by clicking here.