Plan Your Visit
Tickets
Begin your planning by ordering your tickets in person, by phone, or online. Visit the Tickets page for more information.
Parking
Ewing Cultural Center – parking is FREE directly across Emerson Street at St. John's Lutheran Church (GPS: 1617 E. Emerson, Bloomington).
The Center for the Performing Arts – parking is FREE in the School Street Garage on the corner of School St. and Beaufort Ave. (GPS: 400 W. Beaufort, Normal).
Festival Society members, and Platinum Plus ticketholders have access to VIP parking zones.
Tours
Start your evening with a tour - see behind the scenes at the Festival. Tour groups meet in the Ewing Manor courtyard at 6 p.m. Check the schedule to see which tour is available on your chosen night: Backstage, or Manor and Costume. Order your tickets on the Ticket page.
Glenn Wilson and Friends Jazz Series & Live Music Nights
Join us Friday and Saturday nights at 6:30-7:30 p.m. for live jazz music. The concerts are FREE to all!
Fridays and Saturdays, world-renowned saxophonist and Normal resident Glenn Wilson will be producing and performing a series of jazz concerts prior to the night's stage performance. The weekend concerts will feature Wilson's jazz musician 'Friends' from New York, Chicago, Miami and Indianapolis. Also appearing will be Wilson's local group "The Jazzmaniacs" plus other local jazz musicians.
Enjoy Live Music on Thursdays: listen to a variety of musical styles performed by visiting artists.
Jazz and Live Music performances are FREE to all guests even if you're not attending the main performance that night! View the complete schedule and plan your summer.
Pre-show Activities
Don’t miss the fun and excitement of our Green Shows, performed on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
Courtyard Aftershow
The Festival courtyard will be open after evening shows (9:45 p.m. Sundays - Thursdays, 10:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays for desserts and drinks. Visit with your party about the performance and enjoy special entertainment and open-mic nights.
Picnics Meals
Two Blokes and a Bus will serve meals on the Ewing grounds from their English double-decker food bus Victoria on Tuesdays after 6 p.m. Walk-up orders are welcome!
Pre-ordered food items will be ready for pick-up at concessions beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Step inside the grounds and let the tranquil surroundings transport you to another time.
Feel like snacking? Then this is the place! Located in the Festival courtyard, Shakespeare's Cupboard offers an assortment of delicious goodies, beverages, beer and wine for purchase. Open from 6:00 p.m.
Gifts & Genevieve Green Gardens
No visit is complete without a stop at the gift shop. Open each evening and located in the Ewing Manor courtyard, you can find an incredible array of specialty items that you'll discover nowhere else around. Shop for that special someone and be assured that they won't already have it! The gift shop is open from 5:30 p.m. through opening curtain.
The gardens at Ewing Cultural Center are a place of serenity and retreat amidst the hustle of a thriving and robust Illinois community. They celebrate the seasons of Central Illinois and exhibit species native to the area. The gardens’ walkways, plantings, lighting, and other amenities offer a relaxing setting for contemplation and the appreciation of nature’s beauty.
Mainstage Shows
The Theatre at Ewing openings for seating 30 minutes prior to show time.
Post-show Talk-backs and Ice Cream Socials
Stay after the performance on select Tuesdays and talk with the cast and the Artistic Director about the night's production. Then after the Q & A, join the cast and crew in the courtyard for an old-fashioned ice cream social! It's a great way to meet the company one-on-one and get the inside "scoop" on their lives at the Festival. The social is sponsored by long-time supporter, Craig Sutter, and is FREE to all!
Special Accommodations
If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in this program/event, please contact the box office at (309) 438-2535. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.