Merrill Auditorium Seating Chart

Sections at Merrill Auditorium

Here are the 6 main sections on the Merrill Auditorium chart. Ticket price, distance, and sightline all follow from which one you're in, so find yours on this list before you commit — and remember configurations move: a concert, a game, and a private buyout each use the room differently.

• Orchestra — main floor, rows A-Z
• First Balcony — lower tier
• Second Balcony — upper tier
• Box Seats — side boxes
• Organ-side sections
• Accessible seating

Best seats at Merrill Auditorium

Orchestra center rows H through P give the best blend of the symphony's sound and a full stage view. The first balcony front rows are excellent here — close, elevated, and ideal for hearing the Kotzschmar Organ.

Tips before you go

Merrill sits inside Portland's City Hall downtown, within walking distance of the Old Port restaurants — make a dinner-and-show evening of it. Street and garage parking are nearby, but arrive early on symphony nights to find a spot.

How to read the Merrill Auditorium seating chart

Start with the shape of the room: 1,900 seats on stacked levels facing the stage, split into 6 sections — Orchestra, First Balcony, Second Balcony, Box Seats, Organ-side sections, and Accessible seating. Your ticket names exactly one of them, and that name is worth reading twice, because neighboring sections can differ by a full level, a price tier, or which side of the room you face from.

Three things decide a Merrill Auditorium seat: how far from the stage you are, whether you sit center or off toward a side aisle, and which level you're on. Two sections apart — say Accessible seating and Orchestra — can put you a level higher, a price tier over, or on the far side of the Portland venue, so which one is the value sweet spot comes down to the event and your budget; the best-seats notes above call it for Merrill Auditorium. Match your ticket to the official Merrill Auditorium map — section, row, and seat — before you buy.

For scale: at 1,900 seats, Merrill Auditorium ranks 2nd of the 3 Maine venues in this guide by capacity — Alfond Arena (5,641) is the next size up, Ogunquit Playhouse (750) the next size down.

Building a seating chart for an event at Merrill Auditorium

Planning a group outing, a suite night, or a private function at Merrill Auditorium? The chart above is your starting map — take sections like Orchestra and Accessible seating and the tiers around them, then mirror the footprint your event will actually use with tables in the maker. Assign guests, export the PDF, and hand it to the Portland event-services team. Full capacity runs to 1,900, but a private block is almost always a club, a suite, or a banquet room — a scale the maker below covers comfortably with dinner rounds, program rows, and head tables where you need them.

Frequently asked questions

How many seats does Merrill Auditorium hold?

1,900 at full configuration. In practice the number depends on the event — sections open and close between a concert and a daytime show — and a private buyout uses just the sections booked, usually a club or a suite out of the 6 on the Portland chart.

What are the best seats at Merrill Auditorium?

Orchestra center rows H through P give the best blend of the symphony's sound and a full stage view. The first balcony front rows are excellent here — close, elevated, and ideal for hearing the Kotzschmar Organ.

What sections does Merrill Auditorium have?

Main sections include: Orchestra — main floor, rows A-Z; First Balcony — lower tier; Second Balcony — upper tier. Full breakdown in the sections list above.

Where is Merrill Auditorium located?

Merrill Auditorium sits in Portland, Maine. For the exact street address, parking, and the transit stop nearest sections like Orchestra, check the official Merrill Auditorium site before the day — Portland venues differ on gate, lot, and rideshare access.

How do I plan a private event at Merrill Auditorium?

Open the maker below and work from Merrill Auditorium's actual geography (Orchestra and Accessible seating and neighbors). Drop tables where your event sits, assign each guest, and export the PDF the Portland event-services team will set up from.

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