1679 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

This intimate three-auditorium theater is nothing fancy, but it's one of the most cherished in the city. Two of the rooms cater to the latest first-run releases and often host Netflix screenings, while the third is host to exclusive American Cinemateque events and showings.

The state's largest wine festival takes place 30 minutes east of Cleveland, at Lake Metroparks' FarmPark in Kirtland. Count on live jazz and blues entertainment, fine finger and festival foods, arts and crafts, and sampling some of the nation's best boutique wines—made in Ohio. It's a two-day event, and there's a carry-out store where you can purchase what you sample. Downtown Cleveland hotels offer special rates and shuttle service.

The historic Opera House is the oldest continuously operating summer theater in the West, in operation since 1949. From early June through early September, the theater hosts an amusing vaudeville show by the Virginia City Players. Shows are Tuesday through Thursday at 4, Friday and Saturday at 7; weekend matinees are at 2.

has hosted such notable authors as Garrison Keillor and Michael Ondaatje. Thousands attend, and it is open to the public. Most of the events are free.

Every autumn, Charlottesville hosts the Virginia Film Festival, with screenings of important new movies, panel discussions, and appearances by stars of the cinema. The movies are shown at four sites throughout the university and downtown.

Some of the best operatic talent in the nation performs in season (September through April) at Norfolk's elegant Harrison Opera House, which is known for its excellent acoustics. Their schedule includes the most popular operas of Europe and the United States.

Vista Theater is one of the best places in Los Feliz to watch a movie. Owned by Quentin Taratino, the historic single-screen 400-seat theater has preserved much of its art deco and Egyptian-themed walls and light fixtures. Today it screens all of its films in 35mm or 70mm reels, making it one of the most fitting places to watch the very best of classic and “indie lux” movies. Bonus: the extra legroom.

The Royal Kona Resort lights its torches for a spectacular show and oceanfront buffet four times a week (Monday–Wednesday and Friday); this may just be the best luau deal in town. The entire Polynesian Triangle is represented through song and dance by seasoned professional performers who love sharing their dance traditions with visitors. Traditional luau fare is served along with succulent pork cooked in an authentic underground imu (oven), and an open bar offers mai tais and other tropical concoctions. An exciting Samoan fire-knife dancer caps off the show.  Book online for the best prices and early bird special.

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

This mid-price (and frequently discounted) variety show has held its own against the splashier Cirque-type productions for more than 20 years. The lineup varies, but it usually has magic, juggling, and acrobatics such as hand balancing. Perhaps the real secret is the “front of curtain” atmosphere with likable performers making direct contact with the audience in an intimate setting.

The Waco Civic Theatre produces several plays a year that feature local talent.

The Waco Hippodrome Theatre hosts national touring productions in a 1914 building in the heart of downtown.

In a setting overlooking the white sands of Anaehoomalu Bay, this Polynesian luau includes a spectacular Samoan fire-dance performance as well as traditional music and dances from Pacific Island cultures. Making use of island ingredients such as Waipio Valley poi, Keahole shrimp, and Pulehu steaks, the menu by executive chef Jayson Kanekoa treats guests to authentic island flavors. Probably the most affordable luau on the island, they also offer an open bar.

The oceanfront Aloha Pavilion at the Westin provides a picturesque setting for this Polynesian feast. Seating is family style, and on a first-come basis, although premium tickets get reserved seating and slightly better views. A buffet of traditional dishes such as kalua pork and ahi poke (pickled raw yellowfin tuna salad) precede the dessert spread. The performance showcases stories of the demi-god Maui, traditional costumes, hula kahiko, and a pulse-raising fire-knife dance finale.

Built in 1936 as a movie theater, this white-columned, Greek Revival building in the heart of Waldoboro has had its ups and downs over the decades, but, thanks to a meticulous restoration completed in 2021, its lights are glowing brightly again. It's now much more than a movie theater, thanks to a robust, year-round roster of concerts, plays, and dance performances.

Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a cultural hub for a wide variety of artistic performances. A breath of fresh air, the complex is centered on the 1934 Italianate-style Beverly Hills Post Office. The interior is gorgeous, with eight Depression-era murals painted by California artist Charles Kassler depicting laborers and artisans. The building includes the 500-seat Bram Goldsmith Theater and the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater. Affordable parking is available underneath the space.

Accommodating up to 20,000 fans, the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek amphitheater hosts big-name touring musicians like Widespread Panic and the Black Crowes.

Founded in 1809, this is the oldest English-language theater in continuous use in the United States. The schedule includes musicals, comedies, and dramas in a lovely 1,084-seat auditorium where almost every seat is a good one. Smaller stages showcase workshop productions of new plays and are rented by other theater companies.

The Roxbury Arts Group transformed a 1911 classical-revival building that had housed the YMCA into the Walk Meade Gallery and Hilt Kelly Hall, which hosts year-round dance and theater performances, concerts, and children's programs. On Sunday of Columbus Day weekend, hundreds of North American fiddlers converge for a series of concerts, jam sessions, and dance. The Todd Mountain Theatre Project premieres new plays by New York playwrights for three weeks in August, and the gallery showcases works by local artists.

One of Washington's grand theaters, the Warner hosts Broadway road shows, dance recitals, high-profile pop-music acts, and comedians in a majestic art deco performance space with wonderful acoustics.

A 60-car demolition derby is the popular kickoff for the week-long Wasatch County Fair in late July/early August; a rodeo caps the action. Events are based at the Wasatch County Fairground in Southfield Park.

The company's classical and contemporary dances are performed from September through June, with works by choreographers like George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Marius Petipa, Sir Frederick Ashton, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and more. The main shows are mounted at the Kennedy Center, Harman Center for the Arts, Warner Theatre, and THEARC in Southeast D.C. Each December, the company also performs The Nutcracker at the Warner Theatre.

Concerts and recitals by visiting musicians augment the choral and church groups that frequently perform in this breathtaking cathedral. Recitals on the massive pipe organ are offered every Sunday afternoon, and the choir often sings evensong at 5:30 during the week.

Founded in 1956, the Washington National Opera presents a diverse repertory of grand operas plus world premieres, international tours, live recordings, radio broadcasts, and innovative education and community-engagement programs. The operas are performed across three main venues of the Kennedy Center in their original languages with English subtitles. In 2012, the WNO created the American Opera Initiative, which commissions young composers and librettists to write short chamber operas. In 2002, the WNO also started the Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera, one of the nation's most competitive professional training programs, providing two years of intensive study to a carefully selected cadre of young singers and collaborative pianists.

One of the city's oldest arts organizations stages high-quality classical music, jazz, gospel, world music, modern dance, and performance art in major venues around the city. Past shows have featured the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Yo-Yo Ma, the Chieftains, Herbie Hancock, and Savion Glover.

This company performs neglected classics as well as contemporary literary plays in the Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. In recent years, they have produced lesser-known works by Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. Contemporary plays such as Tryst by Karoline Leach and David Marshall Grant's Pen are also offered.

The classic art deco Washoe Theatre, built in 1931, was ranked by the Smithsonian as the fifth-most-beautiful theater in the nation. Murals and ornamentation in silver, copper, and gold leaf are some of the highlights of this theater, which is open nightly for movies and other events. In 2013, the theater updated its 35-mm film projector to a digital projector enabling it to play 3D movies.

Formerly the Phoenix Open, this January golf tournament is the "Greatest Show on Grass."

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.