Mesa Arts Center 2026-27 schedule: Every show announced (so far)

Mesa Arts Center isn’t just another Valley cultural venue. The sprawling downtown Mesa complex, which debuted in 2005, is practically its own arts district.

The largest arts center in Arizona, its 210,000-square-foot campus occupies an entire city block and contains galleries, classrooms, studios and art spaces.

Then there are its four performance venues, including the intimate Farnsworth Studio Theater and the 1,600-seat Ikeda Theater. Every year, each hosts a wide variety of shows and events, ranging from concerts and Broadway shows to comedy gigs and scientific presentations.

And the Mesa Arts Center’s 2026-27 lineup might be its most interesting yet. MAC’s theaters will host live music, theatrical and cultural events from August 2026 through May 2027.

Artists scheduled to perform include rock icon Roger Daltrey, comedian Leslie Jones and virtuoso violinist Itzahk Perlman.

Here’s the full 2026-27 Mesa Arts Center schedule.

Mesa Arts Center 2026-27 show schedule

The Australian Pink Floyd Show: The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Sunday, Aug. 16, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Roger Daltrey: A Great Night Out
Sunday, Aug 23, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

A.J. Croce Presents Croce Plays Croce
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

East Valley Children’s Theatre: “How to Train Your Dragon, The Musical, Jr.”
Thursday, Sept. 17 to Sunday, Sept. 27; performance times vary

José González: Against the Dying of the Light Tour
Friday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Leslie Jones: I’m Hot Tour
Saturday, Sept. 19, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Boz Scaggs: Rhythm Review 2026
Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

“Ghostbusters” in Concert
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Patton Oswalt
Saturday, Oct. 3, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Snarky Puppy
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

The Rush Tribute Project
Thursday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Southwest Shakespeare Company: “Richard III”
Saturday, Oct. 10 to Sunday, Oct. 25; performance times vary
Nesbitt-Elliott Playhouse

National Geographic Live: Wild Oceans, Wild Earth: Fangs & Fins
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Davide De Pierro
Friday, Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Theater

Eddie B.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Whispers In The Dark: Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 p.m.
Nesbitt-Elliott Playhouse

Youth Symphony of the Southwest
Monday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Día de los Muertos Festival
Saturday, Oct. 24, noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mesa Arts Center

John Scofield’s Electrospective
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Classical Music Inside Out: Mark and Maggie O’Connor’s America 250
Thursday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Repertory Theater

Theater for the Very Young: RED
Friday, Oct. 30 to Sunday, Nov. 8; performance times vary
Farnsworth Studio Theater

Jazz Funk Soul Crusaders Tribute feat. Lindsey Webster
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Theater

Metropolitan Youth Symphony: A Musical Beginning
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theate

Symphony of the Southwest
Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Salt River Brass: Heroes
Sunday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Lizzy and the Triggermen
Saturday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Theater

Southwest Shakespeare Company: “Amadeus”
Saturday, Nov. 14 to Sunday, Nov. 29; performance times vary
Farnsworth Studio Theater

Undertale: The Determination Symphony
Saturday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

“Outlander” in Concert
Sunday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

An Evening of Alton Brown
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

National Geographic Live: The Ghosts of Pompeii
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

“The Wiz”
Friday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 21, 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 22, 1 and 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

The Fab Four: Tribute to the Beatles feat. A Hard Day’s Night and the Hits
Friday, Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis
Saturday, Nov. 28, 3 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 29, 4 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Youth Symphony of the Southwest
Monday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

East Valley Children’s Theatre: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jr.”
Thursday, Dec. 3 to Sunday, Dec. 13; performance times vary

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Band
Sunday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Symphony of the Southwest
Saturday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Salt River Brass: Believe feat. Phoenix Children’s Chorus
Sunday, Dec. 13, 3 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Ballet Etudes: “The Nutcracker”
Saturday, Dec. 13 to Sunday, Dec. 21, performance times vary
Piper Repertory Theater

Dave Koz & Friends: Christmas 2026 Tour
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Gentri Christmas
Friday, Dec. 18, 2 and 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2 and 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Mickey Guyton & Friends Holiday
Monday, Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Repertory Theater

Josh Gates Live! An Evening of Legends, Mysteries and Tales of Adventure
Friday, Jan. 8, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Pink Martini
Thursday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Professor Brian Cox: Emergence
Thursday, Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Jesse Cook
Friday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Mrs. Doubtfire
Friday, Feb. 5, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 6, 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 7, 1 and 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

KODO: Luminance
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Classical Music Inside Out: Paul Jacobs
Thursday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Church of Mesa

East Valley Children’s Theatre: “Chicken Little”
Thursday, Feb. 11 to Sunday, Feb. 21; performance times vary

“Black Panther” in Concert
Friday, Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Southwest Shakespeare Company: “Julius Caesar”
Saturday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 28; performance times vary
Piper Repertory Theater

An Evening with Itzhak Perlman
Saturday, Feb. 13, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

National Geographic Live: Searching for the World’s Largest Whale Gathering
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández
Friday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Symphony of the Southwest: Side-by-Side Performance with Youth Symphony of the Southwest
Saturday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Southwest Shakespeare Company: “Comedy of Errors”
Saturday, Feb. 20 to Saturday, Feb. 27; performance times vary
Piper Repertory Theater

Salt River Brass: Heatwave
Sunday, Feb. 21, 3 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Metropolitan Youth Symphony: Midseason Interlude
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis
Saturday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Classical Music Inside Out: Fred Hersch
Thursday, March 4, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Repertory Theater

All Things Equal: The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Friday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 6, 3 and 7 p.m.
Piper Repertory Theater

A Day of Bigfoot with Dr. Mireya Mayor, Russell Acord and Cliff Barackman
Sunday, March 7, 4 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Stomp
Friday, March 12, 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 13, 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 14, 1 and 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

“Twilight” in Concert
Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Native Rhythms, Native Jazz: The Genre-Bending Journey of R. Carlos Nakai, Amochip Dabney and Will Clipman
Thursday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Repertory Theater

ALT Fest: Art + Light + Technology
Friday, March 19, 6 to 10 p.m.
Mesa Arts Center

Southwest Shakespeare Company: “Tartuffe”
Saturday, March 20 to Sunday, April 4; performance times vary
Farnsworth Studio Theater

National Geographic Live: Saving Nature’s Symphony
Wednesday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Classical Music Inside Out: Balourdet Quartet
Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Repertory Theater

Simply Three: Unclassical
Friday, April 2, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

East Valley Children’s Theatre: “Jungle Book”
Thursday, April 8 to Sunday, April 11; performance times vary

Classical Music Inside Out: Galvin Cello Quartet
Thursday, April 8, 7:30 p.m.
Piper Repertory Theater

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in Concert
Saturday, April 10, 1 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 11, 1 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

National Geographic Live: Weird World of Frogs
Wednesday, April 14, 7:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Stanley Clarke & Hiromi feat. Publiquartet
Friday, April 16, 8 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Symphony of the Southwest
Saturday, April 17, 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Salt River Brass: Rising
Sunday, April 18, 3 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Youth Symphony of the Southwest
Monday, April 26, 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

Metropolitan Youth Symphony: Musical Celebrations
Wednesday, May 5, 6:30 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

“Waitress”
Friday, May 21, 2027, 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 22, 2027, 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 23, 2027, 1 and 7 p.m.
Ikeda Theater

East Valley Children’s Theatre: “Matilda The Musical, Jr.”
Thursday, June 10, 2027 to Sunday, June 20, 2027; performance times vary