The Florida Theatre in downtown Jacksonville has been recognized by VenuesNow magazine as the #1 “Top Stop” in Florida for 2018, for all venues with up to 2,000 seats.

The designation honors the Florida Theatre as one of the most important stops in the state for touring artists. The venue rankings were determined by attendance from June 1, 2017 through April 31, 2018. VenuesNow is a trade publication that covers the business side of entertainment and sports, particularly as it relates to venues.

The Florida Theatre’s attendance of 140,323 during this period bested the 1,871 seat Barbara Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers with attendance of 137,944; the 1,741 seat Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota with attendance of 133,201; the 1,168 seat Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale with attendance of 63,003; and the 800 seat Capitol Theatre in Clearwater with attendance of 46,486. The Florida Theatre seats a capacity of 1,944.

The Florida Theatre also presented the most shows during this period, with 134 taking the historic theatre’s stage, as compared to 109 at the Barbara Mann, 96 at the Van Wezel, 79 at Parker Playhouse and 90 at the Capitol Theatre.

For a complete list of upcoming events or to buy tickets, visit floridatheatre.com.