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Downtown Iowa City

Downtown Iowa City packs a wide range of live music into a compact area, shaped in part by the University of Iowa and the city's standing as a UNESCO City of Literature. As a home to generations of artists, writers, and performers, the city attracts audiences who genuinely support the arts, allowing venues to book diverse acts from national touring artists to emerging local musicians year-round. Since 1974, Gabe's has been a haven for alternative, rock, metal, and hip-hop music. The historic two-story venue with a large beer garden hosted pre-fame Nirvana in 1989 and Smashing Pumpkins in 1993, and has since seen the Black Keys, Flaming Lips, Chance the Rapper, and Macklemore before they broke nationally. Today it brings local, regional, and national shows spanning any genre. The Englert Theatre is a renovated vaudeville-era playhouse now serving as a community arts center and 725-seat performance venue. It presents live music, comedy, dance, and community events year-round, and produces two festivals: Mission Creek Festival and Witching Hour. Elray's Live & Dive runs multiple bars with live bands and DJs across 3 stages. The Deadwood Tavern and Vue Rooftop also appear regularly among the area's recommended live-music bars. The Weatherdance Fountain Stage on the Pedestrian Mall adds outdoor programming to the mix, and the University of Iowa's Voxman Building brings classical and academic performance to the neighborhood.

Venues11

Upcoming shows97

Today · Wed, Sep 30 · 2 shows

Tomorrow · Thu, Oct 1 · 2 shows

Fri, Oct 2 · 5 shows

Sat, Oct 3 · 4 shows

Wed, Oct 7 · 2 shows

Thu, Oct 8 · 2 shows

Fri, Oct 9 · 3 shows

Sat, Oct 10 · 6 shows

Sun, Oct 11 · 2 shows

Tue, Oct 13 · 1 show

Wed, Oct 14 · 2 shows

Thu, Oct 15 · 2 shows

Fri, Oct 16 · 3 shows

Sat, Oct 17 · 4 shows

Sun, Oct 18 · 1 show

Wed, Oct 21 · 1 show

Thu, Oct 22 · 2 shows

Fri, Oct 23 · 4 shows

Sat, Oct 24 · 3 shows

Wed, Oct 28 · 2 shows

Thu, Oct 29 · 2 shows

Fri, Oct 30 · 3 shows

Sat, Oct 31 · 6 shows

Sun, Nov 1 · 2 shows

Tue, Nov 3 · 1 show

Wed, Nov 4 · 1 show

Thu, Nov 5 · 3 shows

Fri, Nov 6 · 5 shows

Sat, Nov 7 · 4 shows

Tue, Nov 10 · 1 show

Thu, Nov 12 · 1 show

Fri, Nov 13 · 2 shows

Sat, Nov 14 · 2 shows

Wed, Nov 18 · 2 shows

Thu, Nov 19 · 1 show

Fri, Nov 20 · 1 show

Sat, Nov 21 · 3 shows

Sat, Nov 28 · 1 show

Fri, Dec 18 · 1 show

Sat, Dec 19 · 1 show

Sun, Jan 10 · 1 show

Nearby areas

Riverfront Crossings · 2Northside · 2University of Iowa Arts Campus · 1South Iowa City · 3Coralville · 2