75 Best Performing Arts in Arizona, USA

Adjacent to the twinkling zoo, the Desert Botanical Garden lights up every night during Las Noches de las Luminarias, when thousands of luminarias (paper bags with lights inside) line the garden's pathways. Stroll, listen to live music, and enjoy the beauty of the desert. Tickets sell out quickly, so be sure to make a reservation for this annual event in December.

Feeling casual and eclectic? Hit Tucson's 4th Avenue Street Fair, usually held in May and December, where you can buy handcrafted wares and hear local bands while munching on every kind of festival food imaginable.

The September festival honors the film and television actor with a parade, art show, and an impressive rodeo and incorporates a Route 66 element with car shows and live music.

In August, the Cowboy Poets Gathering at Yavapai Community College brings together campfire bards and cowboy musicians from around the country.

A Wednesday-night chamber-music series is hosted by the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music at the Leo Rich Theater in the Tucson Convention Center from October through April. There's also a music festival the first week of March.

This company stages an opera season in both Tucson and Phoenix. The Phoenix season runs from October to March at Symphony Hall and the Orpheum Theatre.

This Phoenix-based company puts on five major productions each year at the Tucson Convention Center's Music Hall.

Outstanding performances by students occur throughout the academic year at this University of Arizona theater.

Come for classic fair fun, including a petting zoo, farm animals, and a rockin' concert stage every October.

In winter the Arizona Symphonic Winds performs a series of free indoor concerts and then goes outdoors with a spring–summer concert schedule at Udall Park in Northeast Tucson. Performances in the park are Saturday at 7 pm; arrive at least an hour early for a good spot on the grass.

Based in Tucson, the Arizona Theatre Company also performs at the Herberger Theater Center. Productions, held from September through June, range from classic dramas to musicals and new works by emerging playwrights.

From September through May, Arizona's state theater performs classical pieces, contemporary drama, and musical comedy at the historic Temple of Music and Art. It's worth coming just to see the beautifully restored historic Spanish colonial–Moorish-style theater; dinner at the adjoining Temple Lounge is a tasty prelude.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed the ASU Gammage Auditorium, which presents more Broadway shows outside the Big Apple than any other venue in the nation.

Theater, dance, music, and jazz performances are showcased at this center.

The state's professional ballet company presents a full season of classical and contemporary works (including pieces commissioned for the company) in Tucson and Phoenix. The season runs from October through May.

This fabulous car auction attracts thousands every January.

This company presents new stories of the Southwest border region—often multicultural and bilingual—at venues throughout Tucson, usually from September through April.

Dance, music, musical theater, and other performances take place at the University of Arizona's Centennial Hall. The UA Presents series is held here during the academic year (September through May).

From October through May, Chamber Music Sedona hosts a classical concert series. They also host the "Met Live in HD" opera performances and a JazzFest in April.

The schedule here includes some of the nation's most popular touring performances for families and children.

The state's theater company for young audiences and families holds performances during the school year at Tempe Center for the Arts.

In Sierra Vista, this two-day festival in early February showcases Western culture, history, and folklore through poetry readings, storytelling, and musical performances. Most of the programs are held at Buena High School Performing Arts Center.

Many excellent art exhibitions, theatrical productions, and music performances take place at Coconino Center for the Arts under the direction of Creative Flagstaff.

This small music venue only accommodates 350 people, but has a loyal following for its eclectic calendar of indie acts. The lounge is open nightly.

This 10-day series of exhibits, activities, guided hikes, and talks in Flagstaff is a fun and interactive way to learn about current research in astronomy, geology, engineering, and biology.

Classical concerts from September to April, mostly held in Ardrey Auditorium on the NAU campus, are given by the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.

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

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.

Children of all ages love the clever, original melodramas at the Gaslight Theatre, where hissing at the villain and cheering the hero are part of the audience's duty.