74 Best Performing Arts Venues in Florida, USA

One of the best theater troupes in Sarasota stages productions year-round in varying venues, which include the Historic Asolo Theater on the Ringling estate.

Fort Lauderdale's 2,700-seat architectural gem offers more than 500 events annually, including Broadway-style musicals, plays, dance, symphony, opera, rock, film, lectures, comedy, and children's theater. The theaters are state-of-the-art, and dining venues are available, including the restaurant Marti's New River Bistro and the Intermezzo Lounge. An elevated walkway connects the centerpiece of the complex to a parking garage across the street.

The first collaboration between Cirque and Disney Animation is designed to wow both young and old. The story follows Julie, a courageous and determined girl who discovers an unexpected gift left by her late father: an unfinished animation piece. Guided by a surprising pencil, she embarks on an inspiring quest sprinkled with her Disney childhood memories. As you follow her journey, you'll be dazzled by pixie-dust performances that include fairy unicyclists, an aerial pencil, dancing sheets, gymnasts in perfect synchronicity, and acrobats on double wheels.

Who'd want to miss a parade that delivers 12 entertainment-packed minutes of Disney characters and royalty; a steampunk-inspired, fire-breathing dragon; elaborate towering floats; and handsome pairs of dancers twirling to some of Disney's best tunes? This parade, which runs daily at 3 pm, celebrates Walt's legacy with vignettes highlighting the glamour, drama, and fun of classic films like Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan while also catering to fans of contemporary box-office hits like Tangled and Frozen. The colorful pageant of floats features inventive technology, a cast of nearly 100 energetic performers in amazing costumes, and a score that invites singing along with familiar medleys.

From the 50-foot-long topiary garden float of Disney royal couples led by dancers in ball gowns with iridescent feathers to the 32-foot-tall airship float finale with Mickey and Minnie, the parade energizes spectators as it rolls past. A Lost Boy from Peter Pan might grab your hand and kiss it. A stilt walker might lean into your camera for a snapshot. You'll hear viewers gasp or shout when the towering 53-foot-long, green-eyed Maleficent Dragon, created with help from Tony Award–winning designer Michael Curry, rears its head and spews flames. Duration: 12 minutes. Crowds: Heavy. Audience: All ages. For people with disabilities: There are viewing areas for guests in wheelchairs along the route; ask any cast member for guidance. A sign-language schedule is available at Guest Relations. The parade runs from Frontierland to Town Square. Find shade beneath a Frontierland porch at least an hour before showtime. If you've seen the parade, this is a good time to head for popular rides in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland while crowds gather along the route. During busy periods, the parade might also take place at noon; try to catch the early showing.

When this stunning, state-of-the-art venue opened in the heart of Downtown, it elevated the arts for Orlando. Encompassing three unique stages, it's where major Broadway productions found a home; where musicians such as Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Elvis Costello have performed; and where opera, symphonies, ballet, and comedy shows fill the calendar year-round.

This nonprofit art house is a cinematic treasure. First-run, quirky independent films are shown in this intimate theater, where locally sourced food is brought right to your table (yes, there are tables). Home to the acclaimed Florida Film Festival—as well as Jewish, South Asian, and Reel Short Teen film fests—the cinema also houses the very popular outdoor Eden Bar.

The theater complex has four stages, where a typical season includes 11 plays covering classics (including Shakespeare, of course), contemporary, musicals, comedies, and family shows. The theater also hosts the very popular Orlando International Fringe Festival, the oldest in America. The season runs June through April, with the Fringe Festival in May. PlayFest! The Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays offers world-premiere and staged-reading opportunities for new playwrights. The theater is in Loch Haven Cultural Park, just a few minutes north of Downtown, where the Orlando Science Center and the Museum of Art also stand.

This is the crown jewel amid a treasury of local arts attractions, and its marquee star is the 2,195-seat Dreyfoos Hall, a glass, copper, and marble showcase just steps from the restaurants and shops of The Square. The center also boasts the 289-seat Rinker Playhouse, 170-seat Persson Hall, and the Gosman Amphitheatre, which holds 1,400 total in seats and on the lawn. A packed year-round schedule features a blockbuster lineup of Broadway's biggest touring productions, concerts, dance shows, dramas, and musicals; the Miami City Ballet, Palm Beach Opera, and the Palm Beach Pops perform here.

Steps from the beach and adjacent to Pier Park, this outdoor amphitheater hosts everything from world-famous musicians to local community performances, as well as special events and festivals. The 70-acre park also features a veterans memorial and three trails.

Many major events take place at this conveniently located arena, which sits near Downtown Tampa in the Channelside district. The Tampa Bay Lightning call this spot home, but the 670,000-square-foot venue hosts at least 150 special events each year—mostly musical ones.

The most prestigious art show in the United States is held every December, with plenty of fabulous parties to go along with the pricey art. This is a who's who of the art world where collectors, emerging artists, renowned artists, curators, gallerists, and art aficionados convene alongside novices, trendsetters, and glitterati. Although the main exhibition is held at the Miami Beach Convention Center, dozens of smaller exhibitions are set up on the beach, Downtown, and in the Wynwood District at galleries and in event spaces and hotel lobbies. The exquisite art and sensational people-watching more than soften the blow of exorbitant hotel prices, heavy traffic, and long waits.

Plan ahead to make the most of Art Basel, which includes purchasing tickets or securing your name on guest lists in advance.

This annual weekend of all things art deco was started by the Miami Design Preservation League in the 1970s to draw attention to and celebrate Miami Beach's Art Deco Historic District. Tours, lectures, film screenings, and dozens of other 1930s-theme events are on tap over this January weekend. Festivities—many of them free—begin on Friday, followed by a car show and street fair (with over 140 vendors) on Saturday and Sunday. More than a quarter of a million people join in the action, which centers on Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets.

Built in 1922, this historic downtown theater fell into disrepair and was closed for decades before being brought back to life with a $12-million restoration project. Today, it's a busy hub with a packed schedule of musicals and concerts produced in-house.

This is the place to see Broadway musicals, concerts, symphony performances, and comedy shows.

In existence for just over a century and affiliated with the Ruth Eckerd Hall, this theater brings local, regional, and national musicians to downtown Clearwater. In addition to a stylish, 750-seat auditorium it has a rooftop terrace and bar.

Here, buffet dinners accompany some of Broadway’s best musicals. There’s also a 100-seat Off Broadway Palm Theatre that hosts smaller-scale comedies and musicals.

This old-timey, four-screen movie house is one of the few places in the region where you can catch indie and foreign films. It's on the edge of downtown, less than a block from Burns Square's many stylish yet low-key dining offerings, and, unlike your average corporate movie theater, admission doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Beer and wine are also available.

The Caribbean and Latin America know how to celebrate the annual carnival in style, so it's only natural their tropical stepsister does, too! Each year, Miami's pre-Lentan celebrations in February and/or March climax during Carnaval Miami. One of the main celebrations is held every year on Calle 8. The wild and fun street festival in the heart of Little Havana is the last blowout before Lent begins. This Sunday street party attracts over a million people, who dance in the streets and enjoy more than two dozen stages of DJs and live music.

Connected to TIAA Bank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Daily's Place is a 5,500-seat, covered amphitheater. Since opening in 2017, the venue has hosted big names such as Kenny Chesney, the Dave Matthews Band, Rod Stewart, and Sting. 

Celebrating the history of cinema, this all-new 12-minute show combines clips of Walt Disney, live-action Disney remakes, Indiana Jones, and other well-loved movies. Fans of Mary Poppins will enjoy the threads throughout the show that tie Disney's masterpiece with more modern films. It often plays before the Wonderful World of Animation show also at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Grab some dessert and watch both presentations to enjoy the nostalgia of the movies.

This venue at the south end of the Downtown waterfront is one of the few places in St. Petersburg to see big-ticket national acts as well as the Florida Orchestra, which plays here quite often.

The Studios' after-dark show wows huge audiences with its special effects and Disney characters. The omnipresent Mickey, in his sorcerer's apprentice costume, plays the embodiment of Good in the struggle against the forces of Evil, personified by Disney villains such as Cruella De Vil, Scar, and Maleficent. Animated clips of these famous baddies, alternating with clips of Disney sweethearts, are projected onto screens made of water—high-tech fountains surging high in the air. New scenes from Moana, Aladdin, and Frozen 2 update this classic show. The epic battle plays out amid water effects and flames, explosions, and fireworks worthy of a Hollywood shoot-’em-up. All this, plus the villainous action, is why small kids may find this show frightening. If your little one is apprehensive, sit toward the back where the special effects aren't as intense.

This show, which is held at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater opposite the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, often runs twice nightly during peak season; fewer times during nonpeak periods. For people with disabilities: Wheelchair and ECV accessible. Equipped with reflective captioning and for assisted-listening, handheld-captioning, and audio-description devices. Arrive at least an hour early, and sit toward the rear, near the entrance/exit. Or consider the meal package, which includes a special block of seating for the show. If you sit in front rows, you will get wet.

After several programming changes over the past few years, Fantasmic! is back. The nighttime spectacular features fireworks; music; mist projection screens; and appearances by Mulan, Aladdin, Moana and, of course, Mickey. Dinner or dessert packages that include Fantasmic! can be booked by phone or online, in person at a Disney hotel, or at the park's Guest Relations.

In downtown's restored, circa-1915 Arcade Theatre, this top professional company stages Tony- and Pulitzer-winning productions. There's also an adjacent, more intimate space for edgier works and a Lunchbox Theatre Series for children.

If you're too shy to crash a frat party, FSU might just offer a more civilized evening out. It hosts more than 500 concerts and recitals annually (many of them free) in year-round performances by its College of Music, as well as many productions by its School of Theatre, including operas.

One of the last remaining movie palaces of the 1920s—and listed on the National Register of Historic Places—this theater was totally restored in the 1980s to preserve its Spanish-style courtyard, grand balconies, ornate and colorful proscenium arch, and coffered ceiling. The theater was designed by New York City's R.E. Hall, who was responsible for building dozens of these now rare extravaganzas across the country. Today, the theater, which has seen hundreds of luminaries—from Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello—perform on its stage, hosts concerts, dance productions, and special events, as well as a classic-movie series each summer.

The city hosts the world's largest in-water boat show in the fall. FLIBS has been the end-all, be-all of marine envy since 1960, with more than $2 billion in boats, yachts, superyachts, and accessories from every major manufacturer and builder worldwide. The city buzzes with parties to celebrate, while the official show takes place at several locations along the Intracoastal and A1A. Tickets are required.

Founded in 1986, this annual festival is a celebration of independent cinema, showcasing more than 100 American and international feature, documentary, and short films at various locations across Broward County. Cinema Paradiso in downtown Fort Lauderdale is the base camp. In addition to more than two weeks of screenings, seminars, events, and parties fill the calendar, but don't expect the pomp of a big-city film festival. With that said, the Florida Arts Council refers to FLIFF as the highest-rated film festival in the state of Florida and it's the only film festival in the South to receive four major grants from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Northeast Florida's major presenter of professional, national, and international touring attractions is responsible for bringing Broadway shows—among other things—to the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. The 2023 season will mark the 57th year of programming by the FSCJ Artists Series.

In 1918, the building that now holds this theater was a Ford dealership that sold Model Ts. After that, it evolved into the Aladdin Theater, a vaudeville house, and then did a turn as a movie theater before returning to live theatrical productions in 1989. The performance schedule features touring professional productions, concerts, and shows geared to children.