74 Best Performing Arts Venues in Florida, USA

One of the oldest continuously operating community theaters in the United States presents outstanding productions ranging from Shakespeare to children's programs. Located in the historic San Marco neighborhood, the art deco venue was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

This theater featuring local talent has an eight-production season that runs from August through June. Offerings include everything from musicals in its Mainstage theater to more adult-themed shows in the intimate, black-box-style Studio theater.

As night falls, fireflies begin to flicker among the leaves of this iconic tree. The tiny lights expand, and, through the magic of high-tech projections, the animals carved into the trunk—from dinosaurs to gorillas to tropical birds to a deer—begin to awaken in a swirl of color, until the whole tree is alive with light. 

This experience only happens in the winter during daylight savings time and not if the park closes early. Check the My Disney Experience app for times if this is a must-see for your family.

Catch the classics and the latest art, independent, and foreign films shown daily in this four-screen theater. A full-concession café with beer and wine is available. This is the place to catch a show in Key West.

One of the world's best-known electronic music events, massive Ultra Music Festival has been taking place in Miami every spring since 1999 (usually in mid- to late March). The festival has drawn crowds of nearly 200,000 revelers. Until 2011, Ultra Music Festival was part of the Winter Music Conference, but it has since spun off into its own mega-event.

Why spend your time watching a movie when you're on vacation? Who cares? It's your vacation. Here there are 20 screens and 5,000 seats in a bi-level venue that provides an escape from the crowds, and, in summer, the Florida heat. In addition to "meal deals" that include admission to a show, there are nightly midnight movies.

The university's performing arts center presents music and dance performances, as well as children's programming.

With its purple, shell-inspired design, this 1,741-seat hall hosts most of the major acts that come to town as well as local performers. In a given month, you'll find a roster of acts ranging from comedians to musicians and dance troupes. The Roskamp Auditorium has an intimate feel to it; the back row is just 110 feet from the stage. In summer, the hall hosts a free Friday concert series on its lawn that offers lovely Sarasota Bay vistas.

The 15,000-seat arena hosts major concerts, family shows, and sporting events.

Home to the Key West Players, this community-run, 180-seat playhouse—in a converted, 1880s ice warehouse—presents comedy and drama from December to May. The troupe first banded together in 1940, counting Tennessee Williams among its members.

The White Party began in 1985 as a pioneering fundraiser for AIDS research and awareness. Nowadays, Thanksgiving weekend is one of the most anticipated weekends of the year in the LGBTQ community thanks to the White Party (and another reason not to have that extra scoop of stuffing). On Saturday evening, thousands of gay men, women, and their friends get decked out in white and party the night away under the stars to the sounds of world-famous DJs and recording artists. The event remains a charitable event to support Care Resource, a nonprofit, community-based AIDS service organization.

Since 1985, the largest DJ showcase in the world has rocked Miami every March, when South Beach truly turns into one big ol' party with more than 100,000 attendees. The latest and greatest in electronic music (to the tune of 2,000 performers and 400 events) diffuses through the lobbies and pools of Miami's most illustrious hotels, public spaces, and local event arenas.

A long-running Disney tradition, this floating parade of illuminated sea creatures on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake rolls past several Magic Kingdom–area resorts. Backed by an electronic score featuring Handel's Water Music, the low-key but always-pleasing show leads up to a stirring finale. Watch it from a resort bar like Narcoossee's, the campgrounds at Fort Wilderness, or the pier at the Grand Floridian.