Charleston arts through November: the Halsey's free show, Broadway Bound at Dock Street, SC Ballet's Dracula and Nutcracker, and the symphony at the Gaillard.

Charleston’s arts calendar through November: a free four-artist show at the Halsey, Neil Simon at the Dock Street Theatre, South Carolina Ballet’s “Dracula” and “The Nutcracker” at the Music Hall and the Charleston Symphony at the Gaillard Center.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Refreshed each month at the same address. Every listing links to the organizer or venue; times are as they publish them. For markets, festivals and family events, see things to do this month.

Before you go

  • Parking downtown: most of these venues are on the peninsula; city garages and rates are on the city’s parking page. See our getting around guide.
  • The Music Hall is cashless: its box office and bars take cards only, it says.

Exhibitions now showing

  • “Grounded in Grain, Washed in the Water,” through Saturday, Dec. 5, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, 161 Calhoun St. Free. Work by Maya Freelon, Corey Alston, christa david and Derrick Beasley. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday, until 7 p.m. Thursdays. Halsey Institute.
  • Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St. The permanent collection galleries include Fred Wilson’s sculpture “OMNISCIENCE,” the Mary Jackson modern and contemporary gallery and the Charleston Renaissance gallery. Gibbes Museum.
  • “Trisha Brown: In Plain Site,” 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, Gibbes Museum of Art. Free with registration, but the Gaillard lists it as sold out. Dancers restage Trisha Brown works in the museum. Gaillard Center.

Theater and dance

  • “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors,” through Saturday, Oct. 31, Footlight Players, Queen Street Playhouse, 20 Queen St. A 90-minute comic take on the gothic tale, for ages 16 and up. Footlight Players.
  • “Broadway Bound,” through Sunday, Nov. 1, Charleston Stage, Dock Street Theatre. Neil Simon’s comedy. Evenings at 7:30 p.m., matinees at 2 p.m. Charleston Stage.
  • “The Antiquities,” Thursday, Oct. 22, to Saturday, Nov. 14, PURE Theatre, 134 Cannon St. Jordan Harrison’s play is set in a museum of the human era. PURE Theatre.
  • South Carolina Ballet: “Dracula: Ballet with a Bite,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 29 and 30, Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St. The company’s gothic ballet to a rock and jazz score. Charleston Music Hall.
  • “Miss Nelson Is Missing!,” 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Charleston Stage family series. The children’s book on stage; the venue is on the ticket page. Charleston Stage.
  • Trisha Brown Dance Company, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, Charleston Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St. Gaillard Center.
  • “A Holy City Haunting,” Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21, Footlight Players, Queen Street Playhouse. A new show of Charleston ghost stories by Meghan Lowther, in its world premiere. Footlight Players.
  • Grand Kyiv Ballet: “Swan Lake: Symphony of Lights,” 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, Charleston Music Hall. Charleston Music Hall.
  • Dance Lab: “Rat King,” 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, Charleston Music Hall. The fifth year of a comic Nutcracker told from the rats’ side, for all ages. Charleston Music Hall.
  • “A Christmas Carol,” Sunday, Nov. 29, to Sunday, Dec. 20, Charleston Stage, Dock Street Theatre. Julian Wiles’ adaptation of Dickens. Charleston Stage season.
  • South Carolina Ballet: “The Nutcracker,” 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, to Wednesday, Dec. 2, Charleston Music Hall. $40 to $60. Charleston Music Hall.

The full holiday stage list is on our Nutcracker and holiday shows page.

Concerts and classical

  • Chucho Valdés 85th Birthday Celebration, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, Charleston Gaillard Center. Gaillard Center.
  • Charleston Symphony Chamber Music 1 with Zuill Bailey, Thursday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 24, Charleston Library Society. Charleston Symphony.
  • “Ghostbusters” in Concert, 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, Charleston Gaillard Center. Gaillard Center.
  • Charleston Symphony Pops 1: “The Witching Hour,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, Charleston Gaillard Center, with vocalists Morgan James and Hugh Panaro and the CSO Chorus. Gaillard Center.
  • The Complete Philip Glass Piano Etudes, 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, Charleston Gaillard Center. Gaillard Center.
  • Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth”: In Concert, 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, Charleston Music Hall. The film’s 40th anniversary. Charleston Music Hall.
  • Symphony of Service, 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, on the flight deck of the USS Yorktown, Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant. The Charleston Symphony’s Veterans Day concert, free with museum admission. Friends of Fisher House Charleston. More on our Veterans Day page.
  • A Tribute to Martha Rivers Ingram, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, Charleston Gaillard Center. Gaillard Center.
  • Charleston Symphony Masterworks 3: Concerto for Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21, Charleston Gaillard Center. Kensho Watanabe conducts Bartók, Brahms’ Double Concerto with Yuriy Bekker and Zuill Bailey, and Anna Clyne. Gaillard Center.
  • An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry, 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, Charleston Gaillard Center. Gaillard Center.

Talks, film and books

  • Gibbes Distinguished Lecture Series: Danny McBride and Beeple, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, Charleston Music Hall. Charleston Music Hall.
  • SaltWata Cinema Club: “Daughters of the Dust,” 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, Simons Center for the Arts, Room 380, 54 St. Philip St. Free. Julie Dash’s 1991 film about three generations of Gullah women, then a Q&A. Halsey Institute.
  • YALLFest, from 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. The young adult book festival is free to enter; its three headline events are ticketed. Charleston Music Hall listing.

Classes and workshops

  • Writing Club, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, Halsey Institute. Free. MFA creative writing poets and writers lead writing prompts drawn from the exhibition. Halsey Institute.
  • Family Day, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, Halsey Institute. Free hands-on art activities for all ages. Halsey Institute.

Regular events

  • Halsey After Hours, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23: drinks, light bites and music in the galleries. Free for members, $15 donation for others. Halsey Institute.
  • Halsey Institute late night: the galleries stay open until 7 p.m. every Thursday during exhibitions.

Send us your event

Galleries, theaters and arts groups can email hello@charlestonnewstoday.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free and go on this page and in our events diary.

Frequently asked questions

What art exhibitions are on in Charleston now?

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, 161 Calhoun St., shows Grounded in Grain, Washed in the Water through Dec. 5, free, Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and until 7 p.m. Thursdays. The Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St., has its permanent collection galleries.

When is the Nutcracker in Charleston in 2026?

South Carolina Ballet dances The Nutcracker at the Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St., at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, Tuesday, Dec. 1, and Wednesday, Dec. 2. The company lists tickets at $40 to $60, sold only through the Music Hall.

What is playing at the Dock Street Theatre?

Charleston Stage’s Broadway Bound, the Neil Simon comedy, runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. A Christmas Carol follows from Nov. 29 to Dec. 20.

Are there free arts events in Charleston?

Yes. The Halsey Institute is free, and it holds a free Family Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, and a free screening of Daughters of the Dust at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10.