1679 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

Known as "the greatest show on H₂O" and the largest one-day spectator event in Florida, the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade's 12-mile route through Fort Lauderdale's main waterways draws about a million people every year. The theme and decorations change, as do the participating yachts and superyachts. If you can't make it, you can watch the event live on the Internet.

A street fair and free self-guided farm tours celebrate Sequim's many fragrant lavender fields in mid- to late July.

For the whole month of June, locals and visitors set out to catch the largest halibut of the season. There are daily winners and end-of-tournament winners. The current record holder is a 337-pound catch.

The Seward Arts Council hosts this family-friendly indoor festival between the end of September and the first weekend of October. The three-day festival draws some of Alaska's finest musicians. Many art activities take place, and artists and craftspeople sell their works in booths.

Since the 1950s, anglers from near and far have been gathering every mid-August for the state's oldest and most popular fishing derby. Vying for the largest tagged coho (silver salmon), they can win up to $20,000.

The works of William Shakespeare and other writers are performed between five theaters. The Tina Packer Playhouse and Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre are both indoors, so you can enjoy productions throughout much of the year. Outdoor theaters include the The New Spruce Theatre, Roman Garden Theatre, and the Rose Footprint Theatre, the latter of which reflects the dimensions of the Rose, Shakespeare's first performance space in London.

Bring a picnic basket and a blanket and enjoy free full-length plays with Shakespeare in the Park most nights from late June through August.

During the summer months, this university-based touring theater troupe performs Shakespeare plays in some 61 rural communities throughout Montana and nearby states.

Shea's Performing Arts Center presents concerts, opera, dance, and touring theater performances in an old movie palace reminiscent of a European opera house.

Tlingit dancers in full regalia perform at the Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi community house on Katlian Street. Tickets are sold at the door 30 minutes prior to performances, which are usually scheduled four or five days a week; check their website for times. 

This festival brings classical, jazz, and folk music to the Allegheny Mountains on weekends from May to September. The events are held at the Orkney Springs Hotel, an early 19th century spa that's now an Episcopal retreat. An ice cream social and an art display precede each concert. Concertgoers can sit on the lawn or in one of two pavilions.

Call it destiny that this Canadian-American magician ended up in Las Vegas. His first big break was on Penn & Teller's TV show Fool Us, which frequently films at the Rio. A viral performance there led to winning America's Got Talent, which has created a home on the Strip for at least five other resident headliners. Not only that, he followed his 2018 victory on AGT by winning an all-star edition, The Champions, the very next year. Shin Lim has since become a steady presence on the Strip, moving across the street to the Palazzo Theatre after The Mirage closed. In some ways he is the most unlikely of the Las Vegas magic stars, since much of his act depends on \"close-up\" magic and card manipulation tracked by video cameras rather than comedy or big, showy illusions. But he got to where he is by being different and theatrical, not by following some other magician's lead.

The Golden Nugget's upstairs cabaret room is a comfortable movie theater–style layout with 600 roomy seats. In recent years, impressionist Gordie Brown has anchored the venue on Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving the rest of the week for one-night concert acts which typically play tribal casinos around the country: anyone from Grand Funk Railroad to Tommy James and the Shondells.

Since opening in 1926, the auditorium has hosted nearly every major awards show at one point or another, including the Emmys and the GRAMMYs. Today, the venue and adjacent Expo Hall hosts concerts, film premieres, award shows, pageants, and special events. The Shrine's Moorish Revival–style architecture is a spectacle all its own.

Broadway musicals, dance performances, comedy, music concerts, and more are on the bill at the Shubert, a 1,600-seat theater that originally opened in 1914. It's long been the theater where big-name shows of tomorrow hit the stage for the first time before their debuts on Broadway.

Shuler Theater presents late-summer concerts, Music from Angel Fire (a program that brings world-class chamber music to various venues in northern New Mexico). Children's theater, local college productions, and traveling dance, folk dance, and vocal evenings are scheduled throughout the year.

The company, established in 1979, presents dramas, comedies, and musicals at the Historic Fallon House Theatre and another venue in nearby Sonora. Recent productions include Sunday in the Park with George and Jersey Boys.

Festival films, independent releases, and arthouse flicks pepper the schedule of this cinema run as a year-round extension of the Seattle International Film Festival. The three screens vary between new releases and themed selections, the concession stand serves beer and alcohol, and the old-school marquee adds charm to the neighborhood.

Known by its fans as the \"Christian Broadway,\" Sight & Sound Theatre, located just 20 minutes from downtown Lancaster, produces spectacular shows based on Bible stories. Musical productions in the 2,000-seat, state-of-the-art auditorium have included Jonah, Samson, Joseph, and Noah. These epics are expertly directed and performed, with dazzling sets and costumes, making the shows a wow for everyone.

The Tony Award–winning Signature Theatre company has earned national acclaim for its presentation of world premiere and reimagined musicals, especially those of Stephen Sondheim, as well as contemporary plays. Signature’s modern facility has two intimate black-box performance spaces where theatergoers can see Broadway-caliber shows performed with live orchestras 50 feet or less from the stage.

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the company's Pershing Square Signature Center houses three theater spaces. The Tony Award–winning, not-for-profit theater company provides a platform for both New York and world premieres, as well as revivals. Tickets tend to be affordable here, as low as $35 for some shows. A central space with a café is open before and after shows and during intermission; there's also a bookstore with limited hours.

More than a plush movie theater, Silverspot offers a full evening's entertainment, including a lounge where you can sip specialty cocktails before showtime. You can even order dinner and have it delivered to your comfy seat to enjoy during the movie.

Formerly known as the Neil Simon Theatre Festival, this showcase of Broadway-style comedies enjoys a three-week run from mid-July to early August. It continues to be a popular part of Cedar City's well-respected theater scene. Performances are held at downtown's 1,000-seat Heritage Theater Center, which hosts a variety of other performances and concerts throughout the year.

A gritty live venue that hosts lesser-known bands on their way up, this standing-room-only Harvard Square music venue draws an eclectic crowd that's usually full of students. The top floor overlooks a small pit and the stage, so there really isn't a bad spot to grab a drink and watch the show. Bonus: they still sell tickets old-school style (read: no fees) at the box office.

Single Carrot Theatre presents five innovative and socially conscious productions from up-and-coming playwrights annually. The troupe recently moved into a new 5,500-square-foot home.

A celebration of American music is held in late September or early October.

The second Saturday in July, Sisters transforms into a western town covered with colorful quilts hanging from building exteriors.

Multiple rodeo and community events, held annually for more than 75 years, take place over the second weekend in June.

Now under the artistic direction of world-renowned cellist Zuill Bailey, this monthlong celebration in June attracts musicians from as far away as Europe and Asia for concerts and special events. Most performances are held at the Sitka Historical Society and Museum.

Hosted by the Sitka Sound Science Center, this four-day festival and scientific symposium is held around town in early November, when the whales are plentiful (as many as 80) and tourists are not. Events include lectures, concerts, races, and cruises.