1679 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

The Folly Theater, also known as the "Grand Lady of 12th Street," stages comedy acts, ballets, operas, and theater productions.

In a charming theater built in a former cotton warehouse tucked into the French Quarter, this troupe—in continuous operation since 1931—produces original plays, musicals, and other events throughout the year.

Looking much as it did before President Lincoln was shot at a performance of Our American Cousin, Ford's hosts musicals and dramas with historical connections, and it stages A Christmas Carol every year. The historic theater is now maintained by the National Park Service. Tours of the venue and accompanying museum are free, but timed-entry tickets are required. Tickets to shows can range from $20 to $70.

A mixture of professional and nonprofessional actors brings the words of famous playwrights to life at the Forestburgh Playhouse. The playhouse, one of a handful of small summer theaters left in the country, has kick-started the careers of a number of Broadway stars. Shows change frequently from June through September, ranging from popular musicals to children's events.

The Forrest is the place to catch Broadway blockbusters in Philadelphia. Eight to 10 high-profile shows are presented each season—think hits like The Book of Mormon, Six, Back to the Future, and The Sound of Music.

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.

At the peak of dam construction, nearly 11,000 workers lived in Fort Peck; together with their families, they made up a thriving population center of 50,000. To help keep the populace entertained, the Army Corps of Engineers built a movie house in 1934. It was supposed to be a temporary structure, but instead it eventually became the Fort Peck Summer Theatre. The chalet-style building is a venue for live entertainment; professional and community actors present five shows on weekend nights in the summer.

The Fountain Theatre, which still has its original 1870s facade and vintage murals from the 1910s and 1920s inside, was bought in 1905 by the prominent Fountain family, who began showing movies here in 1912. Now under the aegis of the Mesilla Valley Film Society, the oldest continuously operating theater in New Mexico presents independent films, amateur theater, and some chamber music concerts.

The multiple award–winning (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, NAACP Theater Awards, Ovation Award, to name a few) Fountain Theatre is committed to diverse theater and dance performances. Although the 80-seat venue may be intimate, it's a powerhouse at producing original plays in addition to revivals.

The Fox Theatre, a landmark 1929 building with ornate Siamese Byzantine architecture, hosts major musicals, plays, and theater productions.

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.

A beautifully refurbished old movie palace, the art deco Fox Theatre hosts film festivals and mostly folk-rock concerts.

The Frank W. Cyr Center inhabits the former Rexmere Hotel, which was built in 1898 by local hotel magnate Dr. Stephen E. Churchill. Surrounding the center is the 100-acre Churchill Park, which Churchill created complete with man-made lakes, tree clusters, meadows, and idyllic summer homes. Local arts organizations utilize the center. The Friends of Music present classical-music concerts using a Steinway grand piano flanked by Corinthian columns, and the Mt. Utsayantha Arts League hangs regional artists' works in the gallery space. (Otsego-Northern Catskills BOCES and various administrative offices occupy other parts of the building.) On the back porch are rocking chairs from which you can survey the park's lakes and groves.

The Franklin Theatre’s iconic neon sign is the centerpiece of Downtown Franklin. Opened in 1937 and refurbished in 2011, the theater now offers an ongoing lineup of concerts, live theater performances, and movies (mostly second-run and classics). You can purchase beer and wine at the concession stand, as well as Showtime chocolate bars, created exclusively for The Franklin by local chocolatier, Schakolad.

The Fredonia Opera House, in a restored 1891 Victorian building downtown, presents music, theater, dance, and other live performances, as well as independent, foreign, and documentary films. It's the site of a baroque-music festival in June. Free walk-in, guided tours of the opera house are available.

Across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey, this urban amphitheater (formerly called BB&T Pavilion) programs everything from classical to hip-hop and rock in an adaptable space. Between the outdoor lawn and seated pavilion, it can host crowds as large as 25,000, with the indoor portion able to accommodate 7,000. Best reached from Philadelphia by car, PATCO, or ferry (during summer).

Freedom Park comes alive from June through August with free outdoor concerts of jazz, blues, rock, and polka. Shows start at 7 pm on Wednesday.

The oldest and most active African-American theater in Pennsylvania is nationally renowned. Performances are scheduled throughout the year, primarily from September through June.

This theater centers on original material and world premieres with professional actors year-round. The small venue is known for its dedication to diversity and its inclusive atmosphere, with “talkbacks" (Q&As between actors and audience members) after certain shows. Ray Bradbury regularly produced shows here for five years before his death in 2012, including a stage adaptation of Fahrenheit 451.

The largest festival in the North Country celebrates Cape Vincent's French heritage over a weekend in early July. The fun includes a parade; French music, dress, bread and pastry; fireworks; band performances; and children's programs.

The orchestra performs classical concerts from September through June.

Friedberg Hall, part of the Peabody Institute, is the scene of recitals, concerts, and opera performances by students, faculty, and distinguished guests.

This organization brings superior classical performers from all over the world to Tulane University's Dixon Hall. Concerts take place approximately once a month, and tickets usually cost about $35.

The town had its first organized cowboy competition in 1888 and lays claim to having the world's oldest rodeo: the annual Frontier Days roundup, held on the July 4 weekend at the Prescott Rodeo Grounds.

The town's Fat Tire Festival brings mountain bikers from all over together to take on the area's trails every May.

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.

Housed in the 100-seat Cell Theatre, FUSION Theatre Company has been central to the professional theatrical scene here ever since its 2001 founding. Building on its acclaimed annual “Seven Works” short-works play festival, FUSION has doubled down with creative initiatives that serve its deep commitment to community, from art shows and AMP Concerts productions to film screenings and more. Set in a historic railroad-industrial area (on the city’s developing Rail Trail), FUSION’s programming takes place in the Cell, their 708 performance/gallery space, and the 1,200-seat outdoor Meadow facility.

This company attracts outstanding Hispanic actors from around the world, performing works by such leading dramatists as Federico García Lorca and Mario Vargas Llosa. Plays are presented in English or in Spanish with projected subtitles. The company performs in the Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights, a hot spot for Latino culture and cuisine.