6 Best Performing Arts Venues in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, Florida

Fort Lauderdale's 2,700-seat architectural gem offers more than 500 events annually, including Broadway-style musicals, plays, dance, symphony, opera, rock, film, lectures, comedy, and children's theater. The theaters are state-of-the-art, and dining venues are available, including the restaurant Marti's New River Bistro and the Intermezzo Lounge. An elevated walkway connects the centerpiece of the complex to a parking garage across the street.

The city hosts the world's largest in-water boat show in the fall. FLIBS has been the end-all, be-all of marine envy since 1960, with more than $2 billion in boats, yachts, superyachts, and accessories from every major manufacturer and builder worldwide. The city buzzes with parties to celebrate, while the official show takes place at several locations along the Intracoastal and A1A. Tickets are required.

Founded in 1986, this annual festival is a celebration of independent cinema, showcasing more than 100 American and international feature, documentary, and short films at various locations across Broward County. Cinema Paradiso in downtown Fort Lauderdale is the base camp. In addition to more than two weeks of screenings, seminars, events, and parties fill the calendar, but don't expect the pomp of a big-city film festival. With that said, the Florida Arts Council refers to FLIFF as the highest-rated film festival in the state of Florida and it's the only film festival in the South to receive four major grants from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

If a charming dive bar were a concert venue, this would be it. The intimate venue for live rock, electronic, funk, and more houses both indoor and outdoor stages featuring rising-star performers, local acts, and popular indie bands. Many big names, including Lady Gaga and Panic! at the Disco, performed here before breaking out as stars.

Formerly called Cinema Paradiso, this arthouse theater operates out of a former church south of the New River near the county courthouse. The space doubles as headquarters for the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF), while still playing films year-round. FLIFF's website is the easiest way to see what's playing on any given evening at the cinema.

Known as "the greatest show on H₂O" and the largest one-day spectator event in Florida, the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade's 12-mile route through Fort Lauderdale's main waterways draws about a million people every year. The theme and decorations change, as do the participating yachts and superyachts. If you can't make it, you can watch the event live on the Internet.