Arts and Entertainment in Winston-Salem

Living in Winston-Salem

Known as The City of Art and Innovation, Winston-Salem offers a variety of arts opportunities including galleries, museums, live music and performing arts to art aficionados of all kinds.

Visual Art

Downtown Arts District Association
A neighborhood organization of artist studios, residences and businesses that hosts a Gallery Hop on the first Friday of every month.

Reynolda House Museum of American Art
The restored mansion of Catherine and R.J. Reynolds is now a museum featuring masterpieces of American art and special exhibits. Reynolda House is affiliated with Wake Forest University, and admission is free to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center employees (and one guest).

Old Salem
Incorporates three museums: The Historic Town of Salem, The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and the Old Salem Toy Museum.

Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art
An operating entity of the North Carolina Museum of Art, SECCA is designed to involve audiences in the art of our time.

Stage & Screen

River Run International Film Festival
One of the fastest growing film festivals in the United States, the River Run International Film Festival is held each April and presents a blend of new films from established and emerging filmmakers.

Piedmont Opera
An acclaimed regional opera company, Piedmont Opera is a leader in the classical arts community with productions involving international, national and local professional singers and technicians.

Stevens Center
A magnificently restored neoclassical theatre, the Stevens Center is the primary performance space for the North Carolina School of the Arts and home to the Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera and other local arts organizations.

Wake Forest University Theatre and Dance
The University Theatre presents plays and musicals encompassing a variety of periods and styles.

University of North Carolina School of the Arts
UNCSA students - along with faculty and guest artists - present performances and screenings throughout the year.

Dance

Wake Forest University Dance Company
The company stages two productions each year featuring classical ballet, modern dance and jazz works.

University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The School of Dance presents 50-plus performances each year featuring students from its Ballet and Contemporary Dance programs. The school’s annual performance of The Nutcracker, with glittering costumes and lavish set designs, has become a Winston-Salem holiday tradition.