34 Best Performing Arts Venues in Atlanta, Georgia

The Atlanta Ballet, founded in 1929, is the country's oldest continuously operating ballet company. It has been internationally recognized for its productions of classical and contemporary works. Artistic director Gennadi Nedvigin has aimed to elevate the technical skill of the group since taking the helm in 2016. Most performances, except for the annual Nutcracker, are held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Founded in 1995, this scrappy playhouse with a sense of humor offers a variety of comedy and improv classes and performances as well as original theatrical works.

Swarms of sci-fi and fantasy fans from around the world descend on Downtown Atlanta every Labor Day weekend to celebrate everything from zombies to Star Trek. The popular Saturday morning parade with hordes of stormtroopers and other movie characters making the route is not to be missed.

Founded in 1979 and in its current location since 1987, 7 Stages is known for an edgy attitude and exciting works. The adjacent bar and coffeehouse, Java Lords, serves up delicious brews and affordable drinks before and after shows.

This acclaimed theater group presents an eclectic selection of classic and cutting-edge productions in its 150-seat theater at King Plow Arts Center, a stylish artists' complex hailed by local critics as a showplace of industrial design.

Atlanta's Tony Award–winning professional theater presents everything from Shakespeare to the latest Broadway and off-Broadway hits.

The 12,000-capacity Ameris Bank Amphitheatre is situated on 45 acres 22 miles north of Downtown Atlanta. The venue hosts a variety of pop, country, and classical acts, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival, held throughout the month of May and culminating Memorial Day weekend, gathers the best local, national, and international musicians for free concerts at Atlanta's Piedmont Park and various venues.

Major roles at the Atlanta Opera are performed by national and international guest artists; many of the chorus and orchestra members come from the local community.

Since 1971, Atlanta has put on one of the most vibrant and popular gay festivals in the country. Thousands of people gather in Piedmont Park every October for Atlanta Pride, which includes a long lineup of entertainers and a market with vendors and organizations from around the area. The main event is the parade, with festive floats and dancers and folks of all stripes marching through the streets of the city.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company stages plays by the Bard and his peers, as well as by contemporary dramatists. Performances vary in quality but are always fun. The Elizabethan-style playhouse is a real tavern, so alcohol and pub-style food are available.

Under the musical direction of its first woman leader, Nathalie Stutzmann, appointed in 2022, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) has 27 Grammy awards to its credit. It performs the fall–spring subscription series in the nearly 1,800-seat Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center.

This restored 1931 Spanish baroque theater has sloped floors that make it ideal for the comedy, rock, soul, and country shows hosted here.

This theater feels more like an outdoor nightclub than a typical performance venue. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket if you've snagged some seats on the lawn, and prepare to listen to your favorite performers over the clink of dishes and the chatter of dinner conversation.

The Decatur Book Festival is the largest independent book festival in the nation. It takes over Decatur's historic square every Labor Day weekend, with readings, signings, and other literary events. Past keynote speakers have included the novelist Jonathan Franzen and former Decatur resident and current Northwestern University professor Natasha Trethewey, the 19th U.S. Poet Laureate.

On its idyllic campus surrounded by picturesque houses, Emory University has five major venues where internationally renowned artists perform.

The Georgia Institute of Technology's arts center hosts classical, jazz, dance, and theatrical performances. There's ample free parking on weekends.

A 708-seat theater, a 13,000-seat arena, and a 50,000-square-foot expo center are all here, 30 miles north of Downtown Atlanta. The venue hosts national touring acts and the Atlanta Gladiators hockey team, as well as conventions, sporting events, outlet sales, and jewelry shows.

A contemporary dance company helmed by visionary choreographer Lauri Stallings and founded in 2009, gloATL has entranced Atlantans with its site-specific dance performances and collaborations with local artists, which have included Outkast's Big Boi and the Atlanta Ballet.

This professional troupe, established in 1983, debuts provocative and entertaining contemporary plays in its 172-seat theater.

This venue draws national popular music acts all summer. There's seating for nearly 19,000 in reserved areas and on its sloped lawn.

This 2,500-capacity venue 6 miles west of Downtown Atlanta stages jazz, R&B, and country music.

Celebrating Back literature, dance, visual arts, theater, film, and music, this festival is held in venues throughout the city year-round. Maya Angelou, Cicely Tyson, Harry Belafonte, Spike Lee, Tito Puente, and Wynton Marsalis have all appeared at past events.

Internationally renowned musicians perform everything from chamber music to jazz at this gleaming, modern, acoustically magnificent performance center 15 miles south of Atlanta. The hall is considered one of the country's finest concert venues.

This 1,100-capacity venue was once a movie theater and is now one of the cultural anchors of the hip Little Five Points neighborhood. Music lovers come for rock, bluegrass and country, blues, reggae, folk, jazz, and pop.

The Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, and their combined arts education programs are all housed in this complex.

Georgia State University hosts concerts that are free and open to the public. The hall's entrance is on Gilmer Street, and there's parking in the lot at the corner of Edgewood and Peachtree Center Avenues.

This dramatic faux-Moorish theater is the principal venue for touring Broadway shows, national productions, concerts, and the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival.

With a seating capacity of nearly 20,000, Philips Arena is the major venue Downtown. In addition to hosting the biggest musical acts, it's also the home of NBA Atlanta Hawks and WNBA Atlanta Dream. The Philips Arena MARTA station makes getting here a snap.