Arts and exhibitions in Winston-Salem: October 2026

Danny Lyon's civil rights photos at Reynolda, UNCSA's Macbeth and Angels in America, Frozen, Violins of Hope Nov. 14-15 and The Nutcracker Dec. 3-6.

Last checked Oct. 24, 2026. Rebuilt each month. Dates, times and prices come from each venue’s or organizer’s own page, linked with every entry. For everything else on, see things to do this month and this weekend.

The next six weeks bring a major civil rights photography show at Reynolda, a busy run of student theater at UNC School of the Arts and two big Winston-Salem Symphony weekends, ending with “The Nutcracker” Dec. 3-6.

Exhibitions now showing

“Flash Point: The Civil Rights Photography of Danny Lyon,” Reynolda, Babcock Wing Gallery, through Jan. 3, 2027. More than 50 photographs by Danny Lyon, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s photographer in the early 1960s, promised to Wake Forest University, according to Reynolda. The museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, closed Mondays.
Flash Point curator talk, 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, Babcock Auditorium. Co-curators Phil Archer and Ashley Givens. $25, or $20 for members, according to Reynolda.

Theater and dance

“Frozen,” Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, through Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Hanesbrands Theatre, 209 N. Spruce St. Remaining shows: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24, 29 and 30; 2 p.m. Oct. 24, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. No show on Halloween. Tickets $14.50 to $27, according to the Little Theatre.
“Macbeth,” UNC School of the Arts, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29-31, plus 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Catawba Theatre, 1533 S. Main St. $30, students $25, according to UNCSA.
“Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches,” UNC School of the Arts, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29-31 and Nov. 5-7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, Patrons Theatre. $45, students $40. The school warns of mature content, according to UNCSA.
Foolish Mortals Improv, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, 4015 Brownsboro Road. Tickets from the Little Theatre.
“The Nutcracker,” UNC School of the Arts, Dec. 3-6, R.J. Reynolds Auditorium, 301 N. Hawthorne Road, with the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra. From $39, according to UNCSA. Show times are on our Nutcracker page.

Concerts and classical

UNCSA Collaborative Piano and Opera Celebration, 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, Watson Hall, 1533 S. Main St. $25, students $20, according to UNCSA.
Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus: “The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci,” 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, Brendle Recital Hall, Wake Forest University. From $28; free talk at 4 p.m., according to the Symphony.
Nashville Trio, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, Watson Hall, UNCSA. Eddie Barbash, Jeff Picker and Mark Raudabaugh. $30, students $25, according to UNCSA.
Organ Spooktacular, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Reynolda, listed on Reynolda’s calendar.
Robert Young: A Benefit Recital, Friday, Nov. 6, at the Delta Arts Center; tickets through the Delta Arts Center.
Violins of Hope, Winston-Salem Symphony, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, Reynolds Auditorium. The orchestra plays instruments that survived the Holocaust, with music by Mendelssohn, Gershwin, Bernstein, John Williams and Jessie Montgomery. $28 to $98, according to the Symphony.
Cirque de la Symphonie, Winston-Salem Symphony, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, Reynolds Auditorium. Acrobats, jugglers and contortionists with the orchestra. $28 to $98, free talks an hour before, according to the Symphony.

Classes and workshops

Family First Workshop: Let’s Paint Abstract Art, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at Reynolda; sign up on Reynolda’s calendar.

Regular events

Art Crush, the Downtown Arts District’s quarterly evening on Trade Street, runs 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, as an Arts District Celebration, according to the Downtown Arts District Association and the city calendar. Parking downtown: see getting around.

Send us your event

Galleries, theaters and ensembles can list shows free. Send the date, time, venue, price and a link through our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

What art exhibitions are on in Winston-Salem now?

Reynolda is showing “Flash Point: The Civil Rights Photography of Danny Lyon,” more than 50 photographs by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s photographer, through Jan. 3, 2027.

What plays are on in Winston-Salem this fall?

The Little Theatre’s “Frozen” runs through Nov. 1 at the Hanesbrands Theatre. UNC School of the Arts stages “Macbeth” Oct. 29-31 and “Angels in America, Part 1” Oct. 29 to Nov. 7.

When is The Nutcracker in Winston-Salem in 2026?

UNC School of the Arts performs it Dec. 3-6 at R.J. Reynolds Auditorium, with tickets from $39. See our Nutcracker page for every show time.

When does the Winston-Salem Symphony play next?

The Symphony Chorus sings at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at Wake Forest’s Brendle Recital Hall. The orchestra plays Violins of Hope Nov. 14-15 and Cirque de la Symphonie Nov. 28-29 at Reynolds Auditorium.