Omaha is Home to World-Class Arts & Entertainment

See, hear and feel exhilaration in action. Take your seat or get on your feet. Lose yourself in our collection or find your authentic voice. Greater Omaha is home to acclaimed performing arts centers, a world-renowned Indie music scene, world-class museums and engaging galleries. This Midwest cultural hub brings it all together – and brings people together.

Broadway, Theater and Dance.

With roots dating back to vaudeville, our ornate Orpheum Theater remains one of our marquee entertainment mainstays – presenting touring Broadway shows, comedians, dance companies, kids shows and more. Just blocks away, the Omaha Symphony (and acts from around the country) revel in the soaring acoustics of our Holland Performing Arts Center.

High-energy and high-acclaim are also hallmarks at Omaha Community Playhouse (the nation’s largest community theater), Bluebarn Theater and Bellevue Little Theater.

Recently, we’ve add another venue to our ensemble, the Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center is located in downtown Council Bluffs. It serves as the permanent home for the Chanticleer Community Theater, the Kanesville Symphony and American Midwest Ballet, the region’s only professional dance company.

Music + Fresh Air.

For music lovers – or those who just like to lay out a blanket and kick back – there’s no cooler way to pass a warm summer might. Our calendar of free summer concerts lets everyone experience the soul-stirring impact of live music – from Jazz on the Green, Bridge Beats and Playing with Fire to Saturdays @ Stinson and Vibes at Village Pointe.

Want more fresh sounds in the open air? Check out the powerhouse touring talent coming to Stir Concert Cove, Sumter Amphitheater, Westfair Amphitheater and the annual Maha Music Festival.

Make no mistake – traditional indoor music venues are also our jam. Slowdown, in the crackling NoDo (north downtown Omaha) District, is just one of our energetic Indie music spots along with The Waiting Room, Down Under Lounge and more.

Masterworks Made Accessible

If museums are how you fill your cup, our collection is brimming:

• Joslyn Art Museum: a collection of over 11,000 works and free general-admission year-round
• Love’s Jazz and Arts Center: the only facility in the region dedicated to preserving, presenting and promoting African American art and jazz
• The Durham Museum: a tribute to our western heritage housed in magnificent Union Station
• El Museo Latino: one of only eleven Latino museums in the United States

For added enrichment, open the door to one of our many galleries and celebrate the incredible gift of creativity, the art and the artists among us. 

The impact of entertainment can be fleeting or it can make a lasting impression. As you audition all we have to offer, prepare to be impressed.

Our Culture Gets Noticed

#8 / 40 – Cities for the Best Work-Life Balance, Kisi, 2019

#1 / 5 – Best Cities in Nebraska for the Arts, Motovo, 2019

#6 / 10 – Top 10 Arts-Vibrant Medium Communities, Southern Methodist University, 2018

#1 / 9 – The 9 Best Cities for Singer-Songwriters, Livability, 2016