A town of a few thousand people should not have live music most nights of the week, a performing-arts academy, galleries on its main streets and a working theatre. Idyllwild does, and it has for decades. Here is how the scene fits together and how to find tonight’s show.
Where the music happens
Mostly in the restaurants and bars, not in concert halls. On the MyIdy calendar about three events out of four are music, and the typical listing is a singer or a trio at a café during dinner, a band at the pub on a Saturday, or a jam on a Sunday afternoon. Several places have music four or five nights a week in summer and on most weekends the rest of the year. Because the same rooms serve dinner, the show usually starts around six or seven and there is rarely a cover.
Beyond the restaurants, three fixtures: the free summer concert series on Thursday evenings in July and August, outdoors in the village; Idyllwild Arts Academy, founded in 1946, whose student and faculty concerts, recitals and summer-program performances are open to the public and often free; and Town Hall, the community building where dances, fundraisers and bigger shows land.
Finding tonight’s show
Open the calendar, which lands on today, and tap the Music chip in the key; tomorrow and the weekend are one tap over. Each listing shows the time, the place with its address, and the performers, and most link to the venue. The Month and List views on the calendar page are better for planning a trip, and the search box finds a band by name.
The musicians themselves have their own pages: the Performer Guide lists the bands, singers and acts who play the hill, many with a sound sample, and the Musician Guide is where local musicians find each other for gigs, sub-ins and lessons.
Galleries and artists
Painters, potters, woodworkers, jewellers and photographers work in and around the village, and a good number show in the galleries along the main streets or open their studios on event weekends. The Art Alliance of Idyllwild runs the exhibitions and the art walk and wine tasting each October, and the academy campus has galleries of its own. The Artist Guide lists working artists by medium, and the Art chip on the calendar shows openings, receptions and shows.
Theatre and film
The Rustic Theatre in the village shows films and hosts live productions, and local companies stage plays, readings and variety nights there and at Town Hall through the year. The Drama chip on the calendar collects them; the Idyllwild Arts chip collects the academy’s dance, theatre and music performances.
If you perform
Local acts can list themselves in the Performer Guide for free, and members of MyIdy can post their own gigs to the calendar once the editor has approved their account. Both start from joining MyIdy.
See what is on in Idyllwild this week.
Open the calendar