22 Best Performing Arts Venues in Tucson, Arizona

This huge two-week trade show in February, comprising nearly 40 different shows at venues in and around Downtown, is the largest of its kind in the world. Most vendors sell to the public as well as to wholesalers. Admission to the shows is free, except for the prestigious Gem and Mineral Show held at the Tucson Convention Center during the last four days of the two-week period. The Tucson Visitor Center is the best source of information about the event.

Feeling casual and eclectic? Hit Tucson's 4th Avenue Street Fair, held one weekend in March and one weekend in December, where you can buy handcrafted wares and hear local bands while munching on every kind of festival food imaginable.

A Wednesday-night chamber-music series is hosted by the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music at the Leo Rich Theater in the Tucson Convention Center from October through April. There's also a music festival the first week of March.

This Phoenix-based company puts on five major productions each year at the Tucson Convention Center's Music Hall.

Outstanding performances by students occur throughout the academic year at this University of Arizona theater.

In winter the Arizona Symphonic Winds performs a series of free indoor concerts and then goes outdoors with a spring–summer concert schedule at Udall Park in Northeast Tucson. Performances in the park are Saturday at 7 pm; arrive at least an hour early for a good spot on the grass.

From September through May, Arizona's state theater performs classical pieces, contemporary drama, and musical comedy at the historic Temple of Music and Art. Though it's worth coming just to see the beautifully restored historic Spanish Colonial–Moorish-style theater, the first-rate performances and reasonable ticket prices make it a standout.

This company presents new stories of the Southwest border region—often multicultural and bilingual—at venues throughout Tucson, usually from September through April.

Dance, music, musical theater, and other performances take place at the University of Arizona's Centennial Hall. The Arizona Arts Live and Broadway in Tucson series are held here during the academic year (September through May).

A beautifully refurbished old movie palace, the art deco Fox Theatre hosts film festivals and mostly folk-rock concerts.

Children of all ages love the clever, original melodramas at the Gaslight Theatre, where hissing at the villain and cheering the hero are part of the audience's duty.

Contemporary plays and musicals, as well as classics, are presented in an intimate 80-seat theater by this highly regarded nonprofit company.

America's largest outdoor midwinter rodeo is at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds the third weekend in February. A fabulous nonmotorized parade kicks off the festivities.

One of Tucson's hottest spots, the Rialto Theatre, once a silent-movie theater, now reverberates with the sounds of hard rock, jazz, folk, and world-music concerts. You can experience great musicians up close for reasonable prices at this venue.

Every February this rural artisan extravaganza brings artists from around the country to exhibit their eclectic, fine, and tourist-oriented art in the charming village of Tubac, about 45 miles south of Tucson.

Much of the city's cultural activity, including opera, touring Broadway shows, and Tucson Symphony concerts, as well as the international gem and mineral show, takes place at the Tucson Convention Center. Within this complex are the Arena, the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, and the smaller Leo Rich Theater.

Meet local, national, and international authors, attend workshops and readings, and purchase heaps of books at this highly regarded book festival held on the University of Arizona campus the second weekend in March. When the students depart for Spring Break, the University Mall transforms into a bibliophile's wonderland. Kids will enjoy hands-on reading, writing, and science activities.

The small but vibrant jazz scene in Tucson encompasses everything from afternoon jam sessions in the park to Sunday jazz brunches at resorts in the Foothills. The Tucson Jazz Festival brings national and international artists to town for 10 days in mid-January; call for information.

The first weekend in April brings the Tucson Poetry Festival and its four days of readings and related events, including workshops, panel discussions, and a poetry slam. Such internationally acclaimed poets as Jorie Graham and Sherman Alexie have participated.

In May, June, and September the Tucson Pops Orchestra gives outstanding free concerts on Sunday evenings at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park. Arrive about an hour before the music starts (usually at 7 pm) to stake your claim on a viewing spot. Bring folding chairs or sit on the gently sloping lawn.

Part of Tucson's cultural scene since 1929, this orchestra performs at the Tucson Convention Center and at sites in the Foothills and the Northwest from October through May.

A free series of readings and classes open to the public is run by the University of Arizona in its beautiful Poetry Center. Check online or call during fall and spring semesters for schedules.