12 Best Performing Arts Venues in Santiago, Chile

Over the past several years, Matucana 100, a converted train warehouse, has become one of the main anchors of the area surrounding Quinta Normal Park. On weekends there are outdoor dance events, and Matucana 100 frequently host fairs, art installations, and film festivals. Cafe 100---housed in a converted bus, continuing the public transport theme---sells specialty coffee and coconut water, a good complement to the nearby Soul Kitchen food truck, which serves a hearty Sunday brunch until 4 pm.

Home to the national opera company, Santiago's 19th-century Teatro Municipal also presents excellent classical concert and ballet by internationally recognized artists from March to December. Opened in 1857, it was designed by French architects and has had several major renovations since. The Renaissance-style building hosts one of the city's most refined monuments with a lavish interior that deserves a visit. The cobblestone path around the building completes the picture.

The Teatro Municipal has its own company, the Ballet de Santiago, which performs regularly, often with guest soloists.

The venerable Ballet Nacional Chileno, founded in 1945, performs at CEAC U Chile (ex-Teatro Universidad de Chile) near Plaza Baquedano.

The Coro Sinfónico and the Orquesta Sinfónica, the city's highly regarded chorus and orchestra, perform near Plaza Baquedano at the Centro de Extensión Artistica y Cultura (CEAC) Universidad de Chile. Other functions such as ballet and quartets and solo vocal performances take place throughout the year. This venue is also home to the Ballet Nacional Chileno.

Cine Hoyts Parque Arauco is the city's most modern cinema, with 3D and deluxe seating. Be sure to check to see if movies are subtitled (subtitulada) or dubbed (doblada), especially for kids' movies. The website shows the current listings.

Most of the city's art cinemas tend to screen international favorites. The old standby is El Biógrafo, which shows foreign films on its single screen in the cute cobblestoned neighborhood of Lastarria. There is a café upstairs with a nice rooftop deck, decent food, and good drinks for pre- and postscreening.

This jazz festival, along with a handful of other open-air concerts, are held in early evenings in summer in the lovely Parque de las Esculturas sculpture park, tucked in between the Mapocho River and Cerro San Cristóbal. Arrive there by walking over the bridge from Pedro de Valdivia.

In January, the year's best plays are performed at Estación Mapocho and other venues around Santiago in a well-organized program called the Festival Internacional Teatro a Mil. The name refers to the admission price of 1,000 pesos (just under $2), although many now cost between 6,000 and 8,000 pesos. Regardless, some spectacles, particularly the often large-scale opening and closing events near La Moneda Palace, are free. 

Movistar Arena, a covered stadium inside Parque O'Higgins, is a frequent venue for concerts by popular singers and groups, principally those on international tours. It seats 12,000, though seats to the side of the stage have poor acoustics.

The well-respected theater company by the name of ICTUS performs in the Sala la Comedia, a theater just outside the Lastarria neighborhood. The company's been around for more than 50 years and is one of the most important independent groups in the country.

A national monument, the Teatro Oriente hosts dance, music, and theater for all ages, and special programming for children and senior citizens.