Love the spotlight? From Broadway shows and Grammy-Award winning music to hyper local performances, Bellingham and Whatcom County are alive with stages for theater and music events.
The historic Mount Baker Theatre showcases nationally touring performing arts and is home to the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra; the Pickford Film Center is dedicated to independent films; and the Upfront Theater highlights live improve comedy shows.
Each summer, the Bellingham Festival of Music performs at the Western Washington University Performing Arts Center, bringing together principal players from major American and European orchestras to present concerts of classical music at the highest caliber of artistic excellence.
- Check our Events Calendar for up-to-date film and performing arts happenings in Whatcom County.
The Mount Baker Theatre
Behind the Music Scene in Bellingham
- Children’s Theatre Thrives at Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth
- Feel the Motion with Bellingham Repertory Dance
- Lots of Laughter at Ryan Stiles’ Upfront Theatre
Photo credit: Dylan Green
Where to Hear Live Music in Whatcom County
The Inside Scoop on Bellingham’s Independent Film Centers
Theaters & Music Resources
The Upfront Theatre is Bellingham’s Premiere Comedy Theatre! The theatre offers live improv comedy shows every Thursday thru Saturday. Established by Ryan Stiles in 2004 the theatre has been bringing the funny for over ten years!
Founded in 2014 by WWU theatre professor Mark Kuntz and producing director Steve Lyons, Bellingham TheatreWorks focuses on stories of significance to the Pacific Northwest, with an emphasis on new work by local playwrights, featuring local actors.
Fiercely independent and downright neighborly, Pickford Film Center offers an authentic, rich and uniquely Bellingham experience in a casual and friendly environment. Dedicated to showing the best in independent, foreign and documentary films, PFC programming brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate the joy of the moving image.
The Shakedown, and our attached bar, The Racket, has quality live music, a pinball lounge, authentic cheesesteaks and affordable cocktails. We serve food from 11 am to 11 pm and The Racket never has a cover. Check our website for show listings.
Performances by the students at Western Washington University’s Theatre Arts Department are open to the public.
Since 1993, the Bellingham Festival of Music has enlivened the summer season with outstanding live orchestral performances and chamber music recitals for Pacific Northwest audiences.
Nestled in the heart of Downtown Bellingham the Mount Baker Theatre is a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing some of the best local and national performing artists in the North Puget Sound region.
The Firehouse Arts and Events Center is a Local, Regional and National Venue for the Performing Arts.The Firehouse Arts and Events Center is available for classes, workshops, meetings, and performances. The Firehouse is: Classroom, Performance Space, Community Meeting Space, Theater, Art Gallery, Cafe, Neighborhood Park and Home to Healing Artists.
The community-based Whatcom Symphony Orchestra performs music of all ages for all ages in six concerts per season at the Mount Baker Theatre, featuring local musicians as well as nationally- & internationally-renowned guest artists. Tickets via the Mount Baker Theatre.
