ENTERTAINMENT & EVENTS

Tickets

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Special Events

• Thomas Center, The
  302 Northeast Sixth Avenue • Gainesville, FL 32608
  352-334-5064
  Housed in a beautifully restored Mediterranean Revival-style hotel, the Thomas Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains art galleries, 1920's period rooms, local history exhibits, performance space, banquet rooms, and meeting rooms. The center is surrounded by lovely gardens and is the site of a variety of art exhibits and musical programs.

• Lubee Bat Festival
  1309 Northwest 192nd Avenue • Gainesville, FL 32609
  Lubee Bat Conservancy
  352-485-1250
  The event is a one-day educational event for families and folks of all ages, which includes a tour of Lubee Bat Conservancy and the unique opportunity to see live fruit bats with 5 ft wingspans! Talks introducing bats as pollinators and about the native bats of Florida are given, along with information about ways that homeowners can avoid conflicts with bats and how maintaining healthy bat habitats benefit other plants and animals. Various groups with tables and displays including crafts, selling jewelry, photos, plants, and shirts will be available.

Cinema

• Regal Gainesville Cinema 14
  3101 Southwest 35th Boulevard • Gainesville, FL 32608
  352-336-0408
  This cinema features first run Hollywood movies and critically acclaimed films plus comfortable seating and a concession stand.

Concerts & Performances

• Let's Go Downtown Plaza Series
  Corner of SE First Street and University Avenue • Gainesville, FL 32608
  Located at Downtown Gainesville
  352-334-ARTS
  The Downtown Community Plaza comes alive every Friday night from May to October as local talent and other cultural events are showcased. Enjoy live bands, dance performances, art, movies, theater groups, and more during the series.

• Dance Alive National Ballet
  1392 Northwest 2nd Street • Gainesville, FL 32601
  352-371-2986
  Dance Alive National Ballet is a professional ballet touring company.

• Gainesville Ballet Theatre
  1501 Northwest SIxteenth Avenue • Gainesville, FL 32605
  352-372-9898
  The Gainesville Ballet Theatre is a non-profit regional ballet company which performs classical and contemporary ballet. Its West Studio can be found at 7126 West University Avenue.

• Gainesville Civic Chorus
  3921 SW 13th St • Gainesville, FL 32627-5205
  Star Center Youth Theater and Resource
  352-378-1598
  Not only does the Gainesville Civic Chorus present three major concerts each season, it also hosts the annual Messiah Sing-A-Long, performs at the Festival of Lights at the Downtown Plaza, and participates in the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences annual Baccalaureate service.

Plays & Productions

• Acrosstown Repertory Theatre
  619 South Main Street • Gainesville, FL 32601
  352-375-1321
  This theatre provides opportunities for many diverse sectors of the community to explore acting, writing, directing, and production.

• Gainesville Community Playhouse
  4039 Northwest 16th Boulevard • Gainesville, FL 32608
  Vam York Theater
  352-376-4949
  One of Florida's oldest community theaters having been founded in 1927, the Gainesville Community Playhouse features six shows during their season which usually consists of three musicals and three dramatic or comedy shows.

• Hippodrome State Theatre
  25 Southeast Second Place • Gainesville, FL 32601
  Located in Downtown Gainesville
  352-375-4477
  Designated a State Theatre of Florida, the Hippodrome State Theatre is situated in the historic Federal Building, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, and features a 266-seat, thrust-stage theater with rehearsal space and a scene shop, an 80-seat cinema, art gallery, a bar, box office, and administrative offices. This theatre features one-of-a-kind performances during their season that are sure to both entertain and enlighten viewers. The Hippodrome also screens first-run foreign, limited-release and avant-garde films. During the summer and spring, the Hippodrome offers a series of hands-on theater classes.

• Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
  315 Hull Road • Gainesville, FL 32611
  352-392-ARTS, 800-905-ARTS
  Located in the University of Florida Cultural Plaza, this performing arts center hosts a variety of performances throughout the year including world-class symphony orchestras, Broadway plays, operas, and large scale ballet performances to campus. The center features a 200-seat Black Box Theatre and a 1,700-seat proscenium hall.

Festivals & Fairs

• Hoggetowne Medieval Faire [Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010]
  302 Northeast Sixth Avenue • Gainesville, FL 32602
  Alachua County Fairgrounds
  352-393-8536
  Annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire will take place in January on the 30-31 and February 5-7. It is a signature event for Gainesville featuring jousting on horseback, human chess matches, hundreds of artisans, nine stages of entertainment, olde world games and rides and food fit for a king.