Fort Smith is proud
to be home of a thriving cultural community. Ranging from live bands,
and symphonic performances to theatrical productions and art exhibits
you can find something to do in Fort Smith with your spare time.
Now in its 81st season, the Fort
Smith Symphony is the oldest orchestra in the state of Arkansas.
The symphony is a per-service professional orchestra comprised of musicians
from Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springfield, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Norman,
Dallas, Little Rock and other communities. The orchestra performs classical,
pops, youth and community concerts in Fort Smith and surrounding areas.
Since its founding in 1947, The Fort
Smith Little Theatre has cast local talent and is an award-winning organization
that produces six shows each year.
Hailed as the “Best Little
Blues Festival in America,” every August the Riverfront
Blues Festival brings in blues talent from all over the world for two
days and is held on the banks of the Arkansas River at Harry E. Kelley
Park.
As one of the oldest volunteer chorales
in America, the 25 year old Fort Smith Chorale performs
two annual concerts with 200 volunteer voices in song. The Carols by
Candlelight concerts are traditionally one of the first celebrations
of the Christmas season. The Chorale’s spring concert features
familiar hymn tunes and texts, anthems and various melodies.

Pull on your cowboy boots
and jeans and head to Kay Rodgers Park for the annual Old Fort
Days Rodeo, which is considered to be one of the most prestigious
stops on the rodeo circuit. The Old Fort Days Rodeo also hosts the Futurity
and Super Derby, which is the nation’s richest barrel futurity.
The fairgrounds host the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair
annually exciting rides and top musical talent.
The Season
of Entertainment from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith features
national touring theatre productions of Broadway shows,
sensational musical shows and the “Season on the Green,”
a series of free outdoor performances.
In the heart of the Belle Grove
Historical District is The Fort Smith Art Center. Housed in
the Vaughn-Schaap house it's one of the few remaining examples of Victorian
Second Empire architecture in the city. It prides itself in cultivating
local artistic talent and showcasing diverse artists.