Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are heading back to the big screen at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park this winter, but this time with a full symphony orchestra providing the soundtrack live. Sleepless in Seattle In Concert is set for Dec. 11, 2026 at 7:30 p.m., pairing the beloved 1993 romance with a live performance by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
The production is billed as a North American premiere, according to KPBS, while sandiegosymphony.org describes the show as presenting the film on a huge HD screen while its score is performed live to picture. The event is also listed by KPBS. Bruce Kiesling will conduct the San Diego Symphony Orchestra for the performance, per the same KPBS listing.
Sleepless in Seattle originally hit theaters in 1993 courtesy of TriStar Pictures, and the film's enduring appeal has made it a natural fit for the live-to-film treatment that has become increasingly common at outdoor amphitheaters. The movie stars Tom Hanks as widower Sam Baldwin and Meg Ryan as journalist Annie Reed, whose long-distance connection over a late-night radio call became one of the defining romantic comedy setups of the 1990s. It was directed by Nora Ephron, who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside David S. Ward and Jeff Arch, with Gary Foster producing.
The Score Behind the Story
Marc Shaiman served as both composer and producer on the film's music, a soundtrack that blended original score with pop standards to help cement the movie's romantic tone. One standout, “A Wink and a Smile,” performed by Harry Connick Jr., earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, a detail the sandiegosymphony.org listing highlights among the production's selling points.
The concert format itself isn't exclusive to San Diego. A London production of Sleepless in Seattle in Concert is scheduled for Dec. 19, 2026 at Eventim Apollo, following an earlier debut at the Royal Festival Hall, according to broadwayworld.com. The Southbank Centre's own listing for the Royal Festival Hall run describes a full band performing the soundtrack live while the film plays on a large HD screen, per southbankcentre.co.uk.
Where to Find the Rady Shell
The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park sits on the edge of San Diego Bay in downtown San Diego, at 222 Marina Park Way, and opened in summer 2021. The outdoor venue has quickly become a go-to spot for film-and-orchestra crossover events, and this December's Sleepless in Seattle date isn't the only one on the calendar — the venue's 2026 lineup also includes Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – Live in Concert on Dec. 12, according to fox5sandiego.com.
Accessibility is built into every part of the venue. Every section of The Rady Shell is ADA accessible, with designated seating available throughout, according to theshell.org. The venue offers accessible seating for both transfer and non-transfer wheelchairs, along with space for companions and semi-ambulatory patrons at every performance, and a limited number of assistive listening devices with headphones and neck loops are available at no cost.
Getting There and Parking Tips
For those planning their trip downtown, theshell.org notes that visitors can take the Metropolitan Transit System Green Line trolley to the Convention Center Station stop to reach the venue. Drivers should plan ahead, since drive-up parking may not be available on concert days and, if it is, can cost more than parking purchased in advance.
The San Diego Symphony is serving as the event's support organization for the concert, bringing its live orchestral programming to a film that has become a modern classic. With a North American premiere on the docket and a London counterpart following just over a week later, Sleepless in Seattle In Concert adds another live-to-film experience to the Rady Shell's growing winter slate.
