25 Best Performing Arts in The Finger Lakes, New York

Touring Broadway shows and occasional musical performances are mounted at the Auditorium Theatre.

About two dozen hot-air balloons participate in this annual three-day event held the second weekend in June. Live bands, balloon rides, and food and crafts vendors are part of the fun.

The state-of-the-art outdoor amphitheater at the Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center is the summer home of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. It also hosts internationally known rock, blues, jazz, and pop musicians, with seating for 15,000 under a band shell and on the grass-covered hillside.

The two-day event, held the weekend after the July 4th weekend, brings more than 200,000 people to one of Rochester's oldest neighborhoods to browse works by more than 400 artists and crafters and to partake in the food and live entertainment.

The 535-seat Dryden Theatre, on the grounds of the George Eastman House, shows classic, art-house, and foreign films most nights at 8 pm, with matinees on Sunday. It also hosts several film festivals each year.

The Eastman School of Music hosts frequent visiting and student performers—mostly classical—throughout the school year.

For three days every August, tens of thousands of farmers and hobby agriculturalists gather in a field filled with vendors promoting everything from giant tractors to alpaca fur. Food booths, operated by community not-for-profit groups, sell sausage sandwiches, ice cream, and other fare.

The Finger Lakes Drive-In, open nightly from spring through early fall, is one of the country's few remaining outdoor-movie venues. The place, 3 miles west of Auburn, shows many first-run films and is popular with families.

The music ranges from Cajun and zydeco to African and reggae at this four-day festival that raises money to fight AIDS. The event is held in July on the fairgrounds. Limited tent and vehicle camping is available on-site.

The world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance, a modern-dance troupe, is based here but spends most of the time touring.

Geva Theatre Center, the city's leading professional theater for resident shows and the largest regional theater in the state, presents about seven shows a year on its 552-seat Mainstage space. Its 180-seat Nextstage theater mounts edgier, more experimental productions.

Nearly a million people visit the nearly two-week-long fair each year, making it one of the most popular events in upstate New York. The 375-acre fairground hosts world-class musical entertainment, carnival rides and games, international equestrian competitions, 4-H animal shows, butter-sculpting contests, and assorted vendors. Free daily entertainment includes concerts, circus acts, and more.

The Hanger Theatre, some of the best regional theater in the Northeast, performs in a renovated airport hangar from June through August.Five plays, from comedies to musicals, are produced each summer, along with five children's productions.

More than 200 arts and crafts vendors line the downtown sidewalks for this annual festival, held on a weekend in mid-July.

Hundreds of poets, dancers, musicians, and other performers and artists entertain tens of thousands of people at this four-day arts festival in late May or early June, which centers around the Commons and Stewart Park. A parade is part of the festivities.

The Kitchen Theatre Co. features contemporary dramas and some children's fare year-round. Its 73-seat theater is on the Commons.

The ornate 1928 Landmark Theatre hosts touring stage shows, dance performances, concerts, stand-up comics, and classic films. Ani DiFranco, Jerry Seinfeld, and the Moscow Ballet are among the past performers and shows at this 3,000-seat venue.

The art-deco Little Theatre shows art-house and foreign films on five screens and also hosts movie festivals. The café is a destination in itself, with live jazz and sweets that make you forget about buckets of popcorn.

The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, a professional summer theater, produces up to six classic American musicals from late May to October.

Chamber music reigns during the monthlong Skaneateles Festival, which starts in early August. Pianist Jon Nakamatsu is among the many other acclaimed musicians who have been featured in the program. Performances, ranging from $12 to $30, are held in First Presbyterian Church and at the Brook Farm estate.

The 1894 Smith Opera House presents stage productions, concerts, and films. The exterior of the theater, built by Geneva philanthropist William Smith, is Richardson Romanesque. The interior was gutted in 1930 and spruced up into an elegant movie palace with art-deco and baroque details. Along with Radio City Music Hall, it's one of the few remaining atmospheric theaters still in use. Films are frequently shown, and the stage has hosted George M. Cohan, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and other performers. Tours are given by appointment.

Syracuse Stage, a professional regional theater, hosts at least seven productions at its 499-seat theater each year. Productions include musicals, dramas, and children's programs.

The Syracuse Symphony, with 80 professional musicians, makes its home in the Mulroy Civic Center in downtown Syracuse, but sometimes performs in other venues.

More than 150 local and national artists display their work on the north shore of Canandaigua Lake as part of this juried show. The event is held the last full weekend in July.

The fair, one of the oldest in the state, is held over five days in early July. Traditional activities include a demolition derby, amusement rides, kids' games, petting farms, 4-H exhibits, and various musical performers.