Live Entertainment in Columbus

A&R Music Bar in the Arena District is a mid-size Columbus concert club booking touring indie, hip-hop, and rock acts in a 900-capacity room adjacent to Nationwide Arena.

Funny Bone Comedy Club at Easton Town Center presents national touring stand-up comedians nightly, part of the Funny Bone chain and one of Columbus's primary comedy venues.

Grandview Theater and Drafthouse in the Grandview Heights suburb of Columbus is a dine-in movie theater with a full bar presenting first-run films and special screenings for the near-west-side Columbus community.

KEMBA Live! (formerly Express Live!) in the Arena District is Columbus's dual indoor/outdoor concert venue, presenting national touring acts in a 5,000-capacity outdoor amphitheater and 2,500-capacity indoor club space steps from Nationwide Arena.

Newport Music Hall is America's oldest continuously operating rock club — a 950-capacity Short North venue that has been booking live rock music since 1970, predating every other rock club still operating in the United States. The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, and R.E.M. all played pivotal early shows here; today Newport maintains its position as Columbus's most historically significant music venue while continuing to book cutting-edge touring acts for Ohio State's enormous student market.

Newport Music Hall on Columbus's Ohio State University campus is the oldest continuously operating rock club in America, presenting touring bands in a 1,700-capacity room on High Street since 1885.

Ohio Theatre in downtown Columbus is a 1928 Spanish Baroque movie palace on the National Register of Historic Places, home to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and CAPA's classic film series in one of the most ornate historic theaters in the Midwest.

Ohio Theatre is Columbus's most magnificent performing arts venue — a stunning 2,810-seat Spanish Baroque movie palace presenting the Columbus Symphony, Broadway touring productions, and major cultural events in one of the most ornate theatrical interiors in the Midwest. Its extraordinary 1928 architecture, its consistent A-list programming, and its role as Columbus's premier cultural landmark create a performing arts experience of genuine architectural magnificence.

Ohio Historical Center presents outdoor concerts and cultural events in the Ohio Village living history museum setting for Columbus audiences. The venue serves Columbus's family and history-oriented entertainment market alongside more traditional concert venues.

Palace Theatre in downtown Columbus is a lavishly restored 1926 movie palace presenting Broadway touring productions, comedy, and concerts as the anchor venue of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) downtown theater district.

PromoWest Pavilion (LC Pavilion) is Columbus's most popular outdoor concert venue — a 5,000-capacity amphitheater on the Scioto riverfront presenting summer outdoor concerts for Columbus's enormous entertainment market. Columbus's status as one of America's youngest major cities by median age drives exceptional concert attendance at accessible venues like LC Pavilion.

Shadowbox Live in Columbus's Brewery District is one of the largest resident theater companies in the United States, presenting original sketch comedy, rock musicals, and live original music in a converted brewery warehouse.

Skully's Music Diner in the Short North is a Columbus indie rock and dance-night club presenting local and touring bands alongside themed dance parties in a converted diner space on High Street.

Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus is an intimate 900-seat 1896 vaudeville-era theater presenting jazz, chamber music, and Columbus Jazz Orchestra performances as part of the CAPA downtown theater complex.

The Basement below A&R Music Bar in the Arena District is a smaller Columbus club room presenting local and regional touring acts in an intimate underground setting.

Wild Goose Creative in Columbus's Old North neighborhood is a community arts space presenting local music, comedy, and spoken word events for the University District creative scene.