About Us
Programming
Our Programming Model
Town Hall was founded in 1998 to save a beloved historic building and create an affordable shared performance home for small to mid-sized organizations in the region. Today, Town Hall has matured into a nationally unique artistic and civic hub in the heart of Seattle.
Approximately half of our annual calendar is shaped by our rental partners. Through subsidized rental rates, hands-on production expertise, and skilled marketing support, Town Hall levels the cultural playing field and amplifies the voices of diverse communities.
The remaining programs, which span the arts, civics, and sciences, are produced by Town Hall. Our staff, series curators, community partners, and other thinkers and doers lend creativity, passion, and talent to our calendar, resulting in an inclusive, present-tense reflection of life around the Puget Sound.
Learn more about our programs and sliding scale ticket model below.
Sliding Scale Tickets
Tickets for most Town Hall-produced events are offered on a sliding scale of $10-$35 per ticket, and Town Hall-produced concerts and select series have a sliding scale of $25-$50 per ticket. No matter where you place the sliding scale ticket price, your purchase helps support our programming and our operations.
Access is at the core of what we do. If cost is ever a barrier to attendance, please contact us.
Free Tickets for Ages 22 & Under
Town Hall’s 22 & Under program was founded in 2019 with support from City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, and provides free tickets to all Town Hall-produced events for anyone ages 22 and under.
Designed to foster a lifelong love of civics, science, culture, and the arts, this program brings new ideas and experiences to an engaged and curious youth audience.
Note: Town Hall does not set the ticket prices for Rental Partner events. Our sliding scale ticketing model and 22 & Under tickets do not extend to programs produced by Rental Partners.
Town Hall Programs
Civics, Science, and Arts & Culture
Town Hall hosts dozens of authors, artists, historians, researchers, scientists, and thinkers on our stages each season. Our core event categories include:
Civics: From local policies to world politics, the Civics Series offers a vibrant forum for activism, discovery, and thought-provoking discussion on a range of topics as diverse as Seattle itself.
Science: Town Hall’s Science Series is dedicated to understanding the world around us through math, technology, physics, biology, the environment, and beyond.
Arts & Culture: The Arts & Culture Series elevates the voices of local artists and legendary cultural icons, celebrating music, visual art, literature, philosophy, and traditions worldwide.
Global Rhythms
Town Hall Seattle’s Global Rhythms series connects Seattle audiences with innovative bands and artists around the world. Established in 2002, Global Rhythms presents world, roots, and traditional music from regional, national, and international artists. The series also fosters community and creativity through Global Atmosphere, a pre-concert gathering with food, beverages, and curated music talks.
View all upcoming Global Rhythms events here.
The Oculus Series
Town Hall’s new Oculus Series elevates the voices of bold thinkers, writers, and creators for a season of memorable, curiosity-driven conversations.
In architectural terms, an oculus —or eye — is a round opening at the top of a dome. An iconic element of Neoclassical buildings like Town Hall, an oculus lets light pass through to gently illuminate the space below. Town Hall’s oculus glows at the crown of our beloved building, a symbolic portal between our shared community space and the world of ideas beyond.
Curated by Town Hall Seattle, the Oculus Series aims to connect audience members to the most impactful writing and ideas of our time.
View all events in the Oculus Series here.
Residencies
Each season, Town Hall’s Residency program offers local Artists or Scholars a paid opportunity to nourish their creative disciplines and engage with Town Hall programs and collaborate with our programming team to develop original events for the community. This opportunity is open to scholars, journalists (SiR) or visual artists and performing artists (AiR) working in Seattle, King County, and/or the Puget Sound region. Scholars- or Artists-in-Residence bring fresh voices to our programming and expand our perspectives about what happens on Town Hall’s stages.
Learn more about Town Hall residencies and how to apply.
Saturday Family Concerts
Saturday Family Concerts at Town Hall Seattle introduce children to the joy and fun of music. Featuring interactive performances that captivate and engage, these hands-on musical adventures create cherished memories for listeners of all ages!
Short Stories Live
Info coming soon.
Town Music
Info coming soon.
Venue Access Partner (VAP) Program
Part of 4Culture’s Building for Equity program, our Venue Access Program (VAP) was launched in 2023 to build a long-term partnership with a small-scale, BIPOC-led nonprofit and offer free access to Town Hall’s stages throughout the season.
Our current VAP partner is Orquesta Northwest. Learn more about Orquesta Northwest.
Rental Partner Events
Approximately half of Town Hall’s annual calendar is shaped by our Rental Partners. Through subsidized rental rates, hands-on production expertise, and skilled marketing support, Town Hall levels the cultural playing field and amplifies the voices of diverse communities.
Whether it’s a concert for 800 or a poetry reading for 40, we’ve got a space for everyone in our beautiful historic building.