Winterland Ballroom

The San Francisco ice rink turned rock sanctuary where the Grateful Dead played 74 times.

Winterland, originally known as the New Dreamland Auditorium (often simply called Dreamland Rink), opened on June 28, 1928, as a skating rink in San Francisco before evolving into a legendary music venue. Located at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street, it was never exclusively a music venue—it remained a multi-purpose space, hosting ice skating events even after promoter Bill Graham began renting it for shows in 1966. Graham used it regularly after closing Fillmore West in 1971, but he did not own it. With an audience capacity of 5,400, the venue became synonymous with the rock explosion of the late 1960s and 1970s. The Grateful Dead made Winterland their home base, playing 74 times between March 3, 1967, and December 31, 1978. Graham's merchandising arm, Winterland Productions, further cemented the site's cultural footprint by selling concert shirts and memorabilia.

Quick Facts

Location: 2000 Post Street at Steiner Street, San Francisco, California
Opened: June 29, 1928
Renovated: 1971 (Converted exclusively to music venue)
Closed: December 31, 1978
Demolished: late 1985
Owner: Bill Graham (1971–1978)
Capacity: 5,400 (1971–1978)

Lore & Background

The building's history began on a specific plot of land previously occupied by the Dreamland Rink, situated midway on the west side of Steiner between Post and Sutter, and Sid Grauman's National Theatre at the corner of Post and Steiner. Built for $1 million (equivalent to $17.8 million in 2025), it successfully operated through the Great Depression after its name changed to Winterland in the late 1930s. In 1936, it began hosting the Shipstads and Johnson Ice Follies, and in November 1944, impresario Clifford C. Fischer staged an authorized production of "Folies Bergère" there. The transition to a music venue began on September 23, 1966, when Bill Graham rented it for a double bill featuring Jefferson Airplane and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. After closing Fillmore West in 1971, Graham held regular weekend shows at Winterland, creating a hub where legendary acts performed. Notably, Led Zeppelin debuted 'Whole Lotta Love' live on April 24, 1969, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, not at Winterland. On New Year's Eve 1975, the Grateful Dead headlined, with The Tubes also on the bill but not as co-headliners; Flo and Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan) were not part of that night's lineup.

Reader's Guide

For fans tracking the live evolution of rock, Winterland offers critical archival material. Peter Frampton recorded parts of "Frampton Comes Alive!", the fourth-best-selling live album of all time, at this location. The Band played their final show there on Thanksgiving Day 1976; filmed by Martin Scorsese and released as "The Last Waltz," it featured guests including Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. The Sex Pistols also made history here with their final performance on January 14, 1978. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played two nights on December 15–16, 1978; his December 15 show was broadcast on KSAN-FM, and both concerts were later released in full as part of his archive series on December 20, 2019. Other notable live recordings include Cream's "Wheels of Fire" (originally mislabeled as Fillmore), Jimi Hendrix's various Winterland sets, and Jefferson Airplane's "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland." The venue was eventually razed in 1985 and replaced by apartments.

Did You Know?

The building cost $1 million to build in 1928, which is equivalent to $17.8 million in 2025.
The final show on New Year's Eve 1978 lasted over eight hours, with the Grateful Dead performing for nearly six hours starting around 10:30 PM and playing through midnight.