11 Best Performing Arts in Boulder and North Central Colorado, Colorado

The 1930s art deco–style Boulder Theater is a gem of a venue that hosts more than 200 events annually with national, international, and local artists, comedians, speakers, and a range of film events.

This annual festival runs from early June to mid-August and presents the Bard's comedies and tragedies on the University of Colorado campus in the stunning Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater.

Since 1977, BDT Stage has been entertaining Boulder with four Broadway-quality musicals a year; in recent years, the dinner theater has added concerts by local and national musical acts. An in-house chef prepares your dinner, and the stars of the show serve you at your table.

Held each Memorial Day weekend since 1987, the Boulder Creek Festival converts a stretch along Boulder Creek into a giant party, complete with carnival rides, live music, hundreds of vendors, food, and multiple beer gardens. The free festival (a beer festival for those over 21 is offered concurrently for a fee) runs between Arapahoe Avenue and Canyon Boulevard between 9th and 14th Streets.

Boulder's professional orchestra presents its own concert season, frequently including some of the biggest names in classical music. The "Boulder Phil" also collaborates with the Boulder Ballet Ensemble to present the Nutcracker each holiday season.

Concerts and more take place throughout the summer at this historic auditorium. Performers have included B. B. King, Melissa Etheridge, Lucinda Williams, the Indigo Girls, and Lyle Lovett. Former vice president Al Gore and the Reverend Jesse Jackson are among those who have spoken here.

The University of Colorado's superb College of Music presents hundreds of concerts each year, including chamber music by the internationally renowned Takács String Quartet and performances by a range of large and small orchestral, choral, new music, world music, and jazz ensembles.

From July to early August, the Colorado Music Festival brings classical music, chamber music, music by contemporary composers, and more to the historic Chautauqua Auditorium. Since 1976, this long-running festival has hosted a variety of musical talent and has become a popular destination for music lovers. Evening meals are available in the dining hall, or you can picnic on the lawn to take in mountain views before the show.

Located in an old dairy building, this center is a hub for the arts community, housing multiple galleries and providing a venue for films as well as locally produced plays, music, and dance performances.

The University of Colorado Boulder's theater and dance department stages excellent student productions during the academic year.

A former movie palace, the Fox Theatre is now a premier live music venue in Boulder that holds just over 600 people and hosts a wide variety of musical talent, including fledgling groups that go on to become world-famous, as well as acts that are already legends.