50 Best Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., USA

The Choir of the National Shrine, a professional choir of 16 voices, performs every Sunday at the Shrine's Noon Mass, in addition to visiting choral and church groups that occasionally perform at one of the largest Catholic churches in the Americas. Every summer and periodically throughout the year, recitals featuring the massive pipe organ are offered. See the website for times and visiting performers. 

The theater at the Folger Shakespeare Library, an intimate 250-seat re-creation of the inn-yard theaters of Shakespeare's time, hosts three to four productions each year of Shakespearean or Shakespeare-influenced works. Although the stage is a throwback, the sharp acting and inspired direction consistently challenge and delight audiences. The theater is undergoing a multiyear renovation, but you can catch performances and other events at other venues in Washington, D.C.

Overlooking the Potomac River, the gem of the Washington, D.C. performing arts scene is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. The best out-of-town acts perform at one of three performance spaces—the Concert Hall, the Opera House, or the Eisenhower Theater. An eclectic range of performances is staged at the center's smaller venues, which showcase chamber groups, experimental works, cabaret-style performances, and the KC Jazz Club. But that's not all. On the Millennium Stage in the center's Grand Foyer, you can catch free performances almost any day at 6 pm. And the REACH, a major indoor-outdoor, state-of-the-art expansion designed by Steven Holl and completed in 2019, provides a dynamic, open-air, collaborative space and a pedestrian bridge that connects with the other presidential memorials on the National Mall.

On performance days, a free shuttle bus runs between the Kennedy Center and the Foggy Bottom–GWU Metro stop.

Specializing in independent, foreign, and documentary films, this theater is beloved by D.C. movie enthusiasts both for its selection and its state-of-the-art facilities. The Washington Post has often declared it D.C.'s best movie theater, its concession stand is fabulous, and it is one of the city's few movie theaters that serve alcohol.

On Fridays from 5 to 8:30 pm from mid-May through the end of August, jazz groups from all over the country perform to packed crowds at the Pavilion Café in the Sculpture Garden. Listeners dip their feet in the fountain, sip sangria, and let the week wash away. Make sure to arrive early to snag a spot.

This acclaimed troupe crafts fantastically staged and acted performances of works by Shakespeare and other significant playwrights, offering traditional renditions but also some with a modern twist. Complementing the stage in the Lansburgh Theatre is Sidney Harman Hall, which provides a state-of-the-art, midsize venue for an outstanding variety of performances—from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing to Racine's tragic Phèdre—by visiting companies like South Africa's Baxter Theatre, which staged a production of Mies Julie.

Throughout the year, the Smithsonian Associates sponsor programs that offer everything from big brass to Cajun zydeco bands; all events require tickets, and locations vary. The Smithsonian's annual summer Folklife Festival, held on the Mall, highlights several different cultures' cuisine, crafts, and day-to-day life.

This multifaceted theater company, one of the city's busiest, produces an eclectic season of contemporary European and offbeat American plays in four spaces: the original Mead and Milton theaters, the newer 200-seat Metheny Theatre, and the experimental Stage 4.

Opened in 1910, the Howard Theatre continues to be a draw in Washington, D.C. Initially a venue to highlight African American artists, the Howard Theatre now hosts diverse performances, from '80s hard rock by Sebastian Bach of Skid Row to old-school hip-hop by Slick Rick to Puerto Rican reggae by Cultura Profética. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, it has also hosted many American musical icons, from Duke Ellington to Ella Fitzgerald, in its intimate space. The theater closed in 1970 and reopened in 2012 after an extensive remodel.

Unusual cutting-edge shows with solid acting have earned this company top reviews and 35 Helen Hayes Awards. The theater performs works for a decidedly urban audience that challenge the status quo. Its modern, 265-seat theater in bustling Downtown D.C accentuates the troupe's talent. The Woollies also create a unique lobby experience for each show, created to share the experience on social.

Founded in 2010, this orchestra is made up of D.C.'s finest freelance classical musicians. Their main purpose is to provide free classical orchestra performances to local communities in D.C. Performing all over the city, this is one of the best classical music experiences in the area.

In a Washington tradition, bands from the four branches of the armed services perform from June through August on weekday evenings on the U.S. Capitol West Front steps. Concerts usually include marches, patriotic numbers, and some classical music. Setup begins at 4 pm, with the concerts starting at 8 pm, but look out for scheduling changes or notices on individual bands' social media accounts. Food is permitted, but glass bottles and alcohol are not allowed.

Known as the "People's Kennedy Center," this performance venue occupies a restored art deco movie theater in one of Washington's up-and-coming neighborhoods. The Atlas's four theaters and three dance studios house a diverse group of resident arts organizations, including the Mosaic Theater Company of D.C., the Joy of Motion Dance Center, Step Afrika!, and the Capital City Symphony. Street parking can be difficult, but you can take the DC Streetcar here from the Metro stop at Union Station.

This classic movie house from 1923 is D.C.'s only nonprofit film center. The theater offers a wide array of studio films and independent and foreign films, plus monthly showcases of the best in French, Israeli, Czech, and Greek cinema. The theater also offers programming for families and children.

Since its founding in 2005, the Capital Fringe Festival has grown each year, and it currently offers no fewer than 50 productions (and more than 300 individual performers) over a several-week period in July. Local and national performers display the strange, the political, the surreal, and the avant-garde to eclectic crowds at all times of the day in venues throughout the city. With tickets around $15, this is an affordable theater experience. Tickets go on sale in June.

Don't forget your Fringe Button, a pin that grants the holder access to all festival events and benefits from local retailers.

Be ready to party at the Festival Bar, in Georgetown, where performers, musicians, and patrons rock into the wee hours on festival days.

In addition to being the home of the NHL Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards and Mystics basketball teams, this 19,000-seat arena also hosts D.C.'s biggest concerts and other major events. Drivers need to park in one of the many underground garages close by, but there are several convenient Metro lines, too. During warmer months, be sure to check out the frequent street concerts at the intersections surrounding the arena.

From fall to late spring, this 200-voice choir, founded in 1965 by Norman Scribner, performs a musical array, ranging from classical to tango to Broadway hits, at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington National Cathedral, and other venues. Three Christmas concerts are also scheduled each December, and there's a popular choral tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. during the winter season. 

Since its first concert, in 1925, the 500-seat Coolidge has hosted most of the 20th and 21st centuries' greatest performers and composers, including Copland and Stravinsky. Today, the theater draws musicians from all genres, including classical, jazz, and gospel, and the hall continues to wow audiences with its near-perfect acoustics and sight lines. Concert tickets must be reserved in advance through the Library's website. Because of the Library's security procedures, patrons are urged to arrive 30 minutes before the start of each event.

This clearinghouse for information on upcoming shows, festivals, and jam sessions in the metropolitan area also publishes a regular newsletter and welcomes volunteers.

This studio theater showcases an eclectic array of local, national, and international dance and performance art talent in an assortment of modern and ethnic shows. Performances take place most weekends, and drop-in dance classes are held daily. The company is a bit of a trek from Capitol Hill (about 3 miles north of the Capitol), but it’s quite close to the Brookland–CUA Metro station on the Red Line, just three stops from Union Station.

Acts ranging from the Bolshoi Ballet to U2 to B.B. King have performed at this 3,702-seat venue, one of Washington's grand old halls. It's well worth a visit for both the excellent performers it attracts and for its awesome architecture and acoustics. The design of the performance hall makes for an intimate concert space and great views from every angle of the venue.

Known by area artists as DCAC, this cross-genre space shows changing exhibits in its gallery and presents avant-garde performance art, improv, and experimental plays in its tiny, funky black-box theater. DCAC is the home of Washington's oldest experimental theater group, Theatre Du Jour.

A fixture in Georgetown since 1772 (in its current location since 1850), Dumbarton United Methodist Church sponsors a concert series that has featured the Harlem Quartet, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks, the St. Petersburg String Quartet, plus a multigenerational community of emerging artists. It's also home to Inner City-Inner Child, Inc. Founded in 1979 as a chamber music concert series, Dumbarton Concerts/Inner City-Inner Child, Inc. is a music, arts, and education organization that is doing extraordinary work in Washington, D.C. Mission: Dumbarton Concerts/Inner City-Inner Child presents programs that promote diversity, community, accessibility, and a love of music and learning throughout greater Washington, D.C. The Dumbarton Concerts music series showcases established and emerging artists for multigenerational and international audiences and creates a community for patrons and music lovers. Inner City-Inner Child improves academic achievement, and uplifts and inspires children ages 0 to 5 in D.C.’s most economically disadvantaged communities using the transformative power of the arts.

Before or after a performance, stroll through the nearby Dumbarton Oaks estate and park.

Film, music, theater, and more explore the Jewish experience. On offer here are documentary screenings, live music and theater, and family events around the Jewish holidays. You can also sign up for classes about language and faith as well as topics of interest to theater lovers.

The library's internationally acclaimed resident chamber music ensemble, the Folger Consort, regularly presents Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque pieces performed on period instruments. The season runs from September to May. The library is closed for renovation until at least late fall 2023.

At more than 200 events a year, the all-volunteer society presents folk and traditional musicians and dancers from all over the country. Venues around the D.C. area host events ranging from contra dancing to storytelling to open group singing.

Looking much as it did before President Lincoln was shot at a performance of Our American Cousin, Ford's hosts musicals and dramas with historical connections, and it stages A Christmas Carol every year. The historic theater is now maintained by the National Park Service. Tours of the venue and accompanying museum are free, but timed-entry tickets are required. Tickets to shows can range from $20 to $70.

This company attracts outstanding Hispanic actors from around the world, performing works by such leading dramatists as Federico García Lorca and Mario Vargas Llosa. Plays are presented in English or in Spanish with projected subtitles. The company performs in the Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights, a hot spot for Latino culture and cuisine.

The Georgetown University Art Galleries are composed of two distinct exhibition venues: the Maria & Alberto de la Cruz Art Gallery and the Lucille M. & Richard F.X. Spagnuolo Art Gallery. During the academic year, the galleries present exhibitions featuring works by highly acclaimed professional artists, studio art faculty, and graduating art majors and host various innovative, interdisciplinary public programs.

The Lincoln Theatre is a historical venue from 1922, back when Washington natives Duke Ellington and Pearl Baily were joined by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, and Louis Armstrong. Today, the 1,200-seat theater presents modern musical artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Hozier, and Billy Idol, as well as comedic performers like Demetri Martin, Tig Notaro, and Ilana Glazer.