War Memorial Field

On the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, this historic 4.5-acre waterfront field serves as the home of Sandpoint High School athletics and the annual Festival at Sandpoint.

War Memorial Field, officially known as Cotton Barlow Stadium at War Memorial Field, sits directly on the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho. This 4.5-acre multi-use complex occupies the ancestral lands of the Ql̓ispé (Pend d'Oreille) and Kalispel peoples, serving today as both a beloved high school athletic stadium and a world-class summer concert venue. Developed in the late 1940s as a tribute to Bonner County servicemen and women lost in the World Wars, the field has spent decades as the beating heart of Sandpoint's community life. By day, it is the home turf for the Sandpoint High School Bulldogs football, soccer, baseball, and softball teams. By night, especially during the height of summer, it transforms into an open-air amphitheater where the stage lights reflect across the dark waters of the lake, often backdropping drifting sailboats and the dark silhouettes of the Selkirk Mountains.

The venue underwent a major two-phase transformation to modernize its facilities while preserving its historic soul. The first phase, completed in 2017, addressed the original 1946 wooden grandstands, which had been deemed structurally unsafe. Today, a modern 1,500-capacity grandstand designed by J.A. Sewell and Associates and constructed with durable, concrete-log materials from EverLog Systems offers covered seating and sweeping lake views. A brick gateway welcomes visitors, featuring a donor wall built with engraved bricks purchased by local residents. The second phase, completed in 2020, replaced the notoriously muddy natural grass surface with a state-of-the-art artificial turf field. Engineered to accommodate multiple sports, this synthetic surface was specifically designed with the city's signature summer music event in mind, incorporating below-grade infrastructure to protect the field while supporting thousands of dancing feet. The nearly $6.9 million renovation project was funded through a voter-approved one percent local option sales tax that ran from 2016 through 2020, showcasing the deep civic pride Sandpoint residents hold for this waterfront landmark.

Every year, the field plays host to the Festival at Sandpoint, an intimate summer concert series that has run annually since 1983. For over ten nights between late July and early August, the venue transitions into a cashless, audience-friendly festival grounds with a nightly capacity of 4,000. Attendees are invited to sprawl out on blankets or low-back lawn chairs on the turf, while a bustling 'Festival Street' behind the grandstands features regional food trucks and local craft breweries, including MickDuff's Brewing Company. Beyond the music, the non-profit festival uses its ticket proceeds to fund year-round free music education, instrument assistance, and scholarships across North Idaho. Located at 801 Ontario Street, the venue sits at an elevation of 2,100 feet and is directly adjacent to Lakeview Park, which houses the Bonner County Historical Museum and the Knicknick Native Plant Arboretum. To ease traffic, a free park-and-ride shuttle operates continuously from Sandpoint High School during festival nights, ensuring seamless access to this premier lakeside arena.