The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands, home to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is a nonprofit outdoor amphitheater that provides a variety of performing arts to the community. The Pavilion is the Summer Home of the Houston Symphony, Home Away from Home of Houston Ballet and presenting venue for the Houston Grand Opera and the Texas Music Festival Orchestra.

For more information, check out our 2013 Performing Arts Season.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion hosts annual crowd favorites each season featuring the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, Texas Music Festival Orchestra and Children's Festival. One of the most popular performing arts events is the Star-Spangled Salute held every year on July 3.  The Houston Symphony performs America's favorite patriotic tunes and finishes the night with booming cannons from atop the hill! Come join us in celebrating our nation's freedom.                               

Hocus Pocus Pops is held in October every year to spook the family into the Halloween spirit! Daddies, mummies and little ghosts and goblins can dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes and participate in a parade across The Pavilion stage. An imaginative blend of bone-chilling music and spirited fun will spook you into the season.

The Texas Music Festival Orchestra also is held every year in June to showcase young talent from around the world.  The University of Houston Moore's School of Music holds an intensive orchestral training program every summer that allows students to compete against each other and study and rehearse under the guidance of an international faculty of artists, teachers and conductors.  Participants of the festival bring their newly acquired knowledge and skill to The Pavilion for a free evening of exceptional classical music. 

‘Tis the season! Ring in the holidays with Holly Jolly Symphony Spectacular featuring the Houston Symphony held every December. Guests can frolic in our Winter Wonderland, complete with snow, as the symphony performs holiday classics and popular carols. The North Plaza feels more like the North Pole as it’s all decked out for holiday fun. Visit with Santa, Frosty and other holiday characters, make arts and crafts, play in the snow, listen to carolers sing and much more. All aboard for a ride on the Candy Cane Express for a merry good time around The Pavilion.

The Pavilion is transformed into a giant playground and educational wonderland for the annual Children's Festival in November. The focus of Children's Festival is to awaken the creative minds of childen and promote awareness of the performing and visual arts. Award-winning children’s performers educate and entertain thousands of children during two days of non-stop fun and excitement. Each artist has a unique ability to delight and inspire children with programs that not only amuse, but also communicate positive messages. The festival features music, dance, puppetry, theater, comedy, arts and crafts, games, hands-on activities, face painting and more!

The Pavilion also presents a variety of performances from the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet and the Houston Grand Opera throughout the season. This year, The Pavilion brings Symphony of Dinosaurs!, "Madame Butterfly," Maestro Graf's Farewell Concert, "La bohème," The Music of Michael Jackson, The Earth - An HD Odyssey, Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II and Musica Clasica Latina. Check The Pavilion's events page to see a full list of the 2013 performing arts events.

The Pavilion offers free mezzanine and lawn seating for all Houston Symphony concerts and Houston Ballet’s performance, as well as free seating at the Star-Spangled Salute and Texas Music Festival Orchestra, making the arts accessible to everyone! Guests also can bring picnics while sitting on the hill or in your seats (please note no beverages can be brought into the venue). Bring your family out and enjoy a great performance under the stars!

Pre-concert activities can be found in the North Plaza before most performing arts events.  The sidestage provides entertainment from local musicians, Pavilion Talk with noted musician scholar and college professor Ira J. Black and amusements with local radio stations. The Pavilion Partners, the official volunteer organization for The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, supplies an Arts & Crafts booth for children and an Instrument Petting Zoo that gives children the opportunity to explore and play different types of instruments. Other activities include a register-to-win booth for "Best Seats in the House" with Tommy Bahamas and Market Street-The Woodlands and more.