Florida Theatre Named One of the Best Theatre Venues in the World

The legendary venue in Jacksonville ranked #89 on the Top 100 Theatres for 2013 according to Pollstar Magazine.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Florida Theatre is pleased to announce that it has been named one of the Top 100 Theatres for 2013 by Pollstar Magazine, as determined by its Worldwide Ticket Sales Top 100 Theatre Venue Chart for 2013.

Pollstar is the leading trade publication for the concert tour industry, and inclusion on this list puts the Florida Theatre in the company of such iconic venues as Radio City Music Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The Florida Theatre ranked #89 on the list.

Florida Theatre Director of Programming Kevin Stone observed that, "It's not like we squeaked onto the bottom of the list by a point or two, either, and if you were to discount the theatres with seating capacities much larger than ours, like Caesars Palace for example, we would be much higher on the list."

In its "2013 Year End Special Features" edition, Pollstar described the 2013 year this way: "Smart bookings, intelligent ticket pricing and the increasing use of social media to promote directly to fans has clearly demonstrated that the concert industry is a growth business. Recorded music sales may continue to erode but the live music business has never been stronger."

Florida Theatre President Numa Saisselin said, "Our own experience in 2013 mirrors Pollstar's analysis. Our focus in 2013 and going into 2014 is on increasing the level of activity at the Florida Theatre, booking more shows, and serving more audience members, and making the Pollstar Top 100 Theatre list is a nice validation of our efforts here so far."

The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, FL is #89 of the Top 100 Theatre Venues Worldwide in Pollstar's 2013 Year End Ticket Sales Report. The concert industry magazine gives a year-end report for all concert/performance venues which includes; arenas, amphitheatres, theatres, and nightclubs. The diverse schedule of shows for 2013 included performances by: BB King; Grace Potter; Kenny Rogers; Lisa Loeb; The Indigo Girls; Lewis Black; Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Margaret Cho; The Goo Goo Dolls; Bonnie Raitt; Chris Tucker; Alice Cooper; Dave Chappelle; Hugh Laurie; and Craig Ferguson.

Opened in 1927, the historic Florida Theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is managed and programmed by the Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, in a public/private partnership with the City of Jacksonville, which owns the building. For more information visit www.floridatheatre.com or call 904-355-ARTS.

Contact: Vincent Iaropoli at 904-562-5983 or [email protected]

SOURCE Florida Theatre