NEW! Blue Gate Performing Arts Center!

SHIPSHEWANA (March 09, 2020) – The Blue Gate Theatre has opened their new 1500 seat, $4 million dollar theater space at the Blue Gate Performing Arts Center. The new venue opens to a busy schedule of 80+ public concerts and numerous private events in the coming year. The Blue Gate will host an open house for the general public on March 24th from 4pm to 7pm that will include backstage tours, giveaways, food, a ribbon cutting and more.

"What a fantastic venue!!! Heard every detail of the music without it being too loud!!! Very nice ushers and pleasant facilities!!!"

- Julie Rice (Facebook)

"Your new Performing Arts venue is OUTSTANDING! You are the premier concert venue in the area! A great variety of shows and accommodations."

- Pamela Ann (Facebook)

"Awesome facility- fantastic decor! Great Acts! Best venue for many miles to attend concerts!"

- Kelli Morris (Facebook)

"We attended the Guess Who concert at the Blue Gate Performing Arts Center and it was the first event in the new and improved PAC. The seats are so comfortable, well cushioned and you have cup holders!! There is NOT a bad seat in the house! Plenty of leg room and very comfy. KUDOS to the Blue Gate Theater group for making this HUGE improvement to your concert venue! Way to go!!!"

- jojack (TripAdvisor)

"As always the concert was awesome But the best part was the new concert venue that the Blue Gate has It was wonderful. The seats are very comfortable with plenty of leg room and cupholders for drinks. Thanks for the update it will make our yearly visits so much nicer"

- dvdevries (TripAdvisor)

"What a fantastic venue! Not a bad seat in the house! Lots of leg & hip room at your seat. Comfortable tempature with air flowing!"

- director367 (TripAdvisor)

"This is our second concert at the Blue Gate and it is hands down the best location for a concert. It is the only concert location where you don't have to wait hours to get out of the parking lot after the concert also."

- mfry1996 (TripAdvisor)

"The new performing arts center is fantastic, great seating! Great display of music history of signed guitars in the lobby."

- ConcertJunkie14 (TripAdvisor)

"Loved this venue. Nice people, nice atmosphere, not a bad seat in the house!"

- Connie Perkins (Google)


Theatre patrons can expect a great view from every seat, outstanding sound and state of the art production. Providing those benefits was a key factor in the decision to build according to vice-president and co-owner Phil Heyerly, “What we really wanted to make sure we got right, above all else, is the customer experience. The new theatre provides a much more intimate space, increases the number of patrons that can attend each concert and all while greatly improving the view from each seat.”

Visitors will also see a much larger stage that allows for enhanced production shows like Martina McBride, Celtic Woman, Travis Tritt and Postmodern Jukebox, all shows scheduled in 2020-2021. “There are many performers who require the area of the stage and the mechanicals be a certain size or be configurable to their needs to support the lights and sound they travel with. The new space now allows us to accommodate these shows.” said Ryan Riegsecker, president and co-owner.

The full 2021 performance schedule is available online at TheBlueGate.com and features nationally known acts like Jeff Foxworthy, Terry Fator, Jamey Johnson, Gary Allan, Newsboys United, 3 Dog Night, Josh Turner and many more.

The number of visitors discovering the Blue Gate and Shipshewana has continually been growing since its founding in 1984, with the combined businesses hosting over a half million people in 2019. A large part of those steady increases can be accredited to the Entertainment Division whose constant effort to increase and improve their offerings has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and led to an estimated $16.6 million-dollar economic impact for the new theatre.

The Blue Gate Performing Arts Center is located at 760 S Van Buren St, Shipshewana, IN. Blue Gate Theatre, is a division of the Blue Gate Hospitality group. Sister organizations include the Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery, Blue Gate Musicals, Blue Gate Garden Inn and Shipshewana Furniture Company.

See our full upcoming schedule of concerts and shows here: Event Schedule

Blue Gate Performing Arts Center Seating Chart
Click here for printable version