Harry Oakes, who was a Commissioner for the Niagara Parks, donated valuable land that had formerly been occupied by the Clifton and Lafayette Hotels to the Niagara Parks Commission. Work began on the beautiful open air amphitheatre in 1935, and took two years to complete.

The 1937 opening ceremony for the Oakes Garden Theatre took place on September 18th. Dignitaries were present, and a continuous concert band performance ran from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. that day.

Niagara Parks held a re-dedication ceremony on the 80th anniversary, September 18th, 2017. Both the Niagara Falls Concert Band and the Lincoln & Welland Regiment Band will perform, as their predecessors did 80 years ago.