With tons of seasonal concerts and outdoor performances, numerous college-affiliated and independent theatres and a general flair for the dramatic, Boise is one of the North-West’s hubs for the performing arts.

Boise’s “ Alive After Five ” program at the city’s main public plaza, the Grove, has drawn local and national acclaim for reinvigorating the formerly sleepy downtown with a weekly program of music and entertainment during the spring and summer months. The free concerts typically begin at 5 p.m. (as the name of the series would suggest) and run until about 8 p.m. every Wednesday June through September.

The ever-popular Gene Harris Jazz Festival , presented annually in June by Boise State University, brings all the best regional jazz talent to Boise’s clubs under a single admission (about $30, or $10 for non-BSU students) and always attracts a big turnout. A new event in a similar vein, Jazz on the Grove aims to bring an evening of free live jazz to the Grove Plaza as part of the Fall for Boise initiative, a two-month celebration of the local arts community.

For theatre, there are a number of companies operating around the city, including at the Boise Little Theater and the Boise Contemporary Theatre . In addition, the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts on the BSU campus hosts a number of local and national performances every season.