Great local smallish concert/entertainment venue in Santa Cruz.A must visit place for show at least once in your life. Acoustics are great, seats are comfy, and the views of the stage are great in any spot depending on how tall the person sitting in front of you is. Parking can be a little hectic as you may have to find street parking a little distance away - dont let that prevent you from going here, though!

Every seat is great (almost) !!!✓ Tip #1: Get drinks ahead of the venue (no liquor license).✓ Tip #2: Do NOT sit left of stage (row 1-2) on chilly nights - back door is open for artists & a curtain blowing open all evening = freezing cold place to sit).

A great venue for concerts, comedy, and special film showings. Retains its original art deco movie theater motif, but with upgraded seating, modern sound and lighting systems, improved acoustics, and a healthier snack bar. A real asset to the community.

Sweet Honey in the Rock. Nice venue. Easy access.

The Best of Times!Postmodern Jukebox show was amazing!Great venue...In spite of the wind storm and power outage...the show must go on!With a generator

Saw a great Scotland band. Excellent theater. Skerryvore!

Acoustics were great. Selection of snacks in the venue was underwhelming. Cash Only.

Historic but... shabby and simple. decent seating and acoustics. basic stage and lighting. its really more like a school auditorium.

Small, away from big names and crowds, amazing sound. Loved it, I hope to come back often

I’m not a fan of general admission seating. I waited in line in my teens and 20’s. That was 40 years ago. I would like an assigned seat. They reserve the front section, why not reserve the entire place? The acoustics are very nice. Saw guitar great Tommy Emmanuel. Great show, except the old man behind me sang along with some of the guitar licks and spilled hot tea down my back during the intermission. Totally inconsiderate. Typical of so many people these days.

Great venue. Very intimate setting.

I enjoy going here for concerts. Just the right size. Im not a fan of big venues.

Love this theatre. However if you sit in the front row, be prepared to wear winter clothing and wraps. It was quite cool and drafty.

Amazing show by Scott Bradlees Postmodern Jukebox, but the venue has a lot to be desired. Inside the theater, paint is peeling off the ceiling. The mens restroom is up a flight of narrow stairs, while the womens was downstairs. And the people working there were a little unprofessional. One guy was wearing raggedy jeans and a wife beater shirt and he was taking tickets. There were problems with how the tickets were being sold online for general admission or assigned seating. Overall I was extremely unimpressed by the venue.

Great live theatre. Tasty Mongolian restaurant next door.

Organization is poor. I tried to watch preservation Hall jazz band tonight but with those at the top of the aisle adjacent to the doors talking and dancing and carrying on and creating a distraction, my experience was greatly diminished. It is very likely I will never return to the Rio theater.

Loved seeing bands at this venue. Its a nice intimate place and the crowd was great too!

A great venue with some local history. We went to see Dave Mason, great show.My friends do lights and sound there.

Chris Bottis first Santa Cruz visit...incredible show, 57 yo, more like 27

Packed house for ABBA revival. Poor ventilation, oversold tickets, but great times.

Saw MountianFilm on tour here and it was amazing. They showed some amazing independent short films. The seating was comfortable.

Great small venue for seeing bands...saw Robert Cray Band there...great show. Would be better if they had more open standing/dancing areas instead of all seating.

Great venue to catch a musical act, comedian, or other act. Parking can be tricky, but if you leave enough time to walk a few blocks there are great options in the area off the main road.

Great venue great sound, will be back!

I really enjoy seeing live music at the Rio. It always sounds good there. Ive never had a bad seat either. Great place for music!

The layouts a little weird, with the seats starting like 30 feet from the stage and a GA section in front of those, but its a beautiful building with good sound, good sightlines, and a huge stage.

Great old theater; we saw Patti Smith there. Staff moved a long line into the theater very quickly. The sound was quite good. A minor issue: stage is only elevated a couple feet, so choose a seat carefully if you want to try to see over people dancing in the aisles.

Awesome, staff fantastic. Flea was beautiful. Crowd was exceptional

Nice older theater Ive been to many shows and events here

One of My absolute favorite venues!I have seen Warren Haynes most recently.... John Hiatt, Rodney Crowell, Greg Brown ....numerous artists there!Ive never ever been disappointed once the venue is small enough feels like an intimate setting the price is usually very reasonable always a good time!

Local treasure. Try to see a performance here. The neighborhood is fun and has character.

Great concert venue, no bad seats, intimate old time theatre.

Love small venues. Great acoustics. Hard to reach staff though

Went and watched a Tommy Emmanuel show and was amazing.

Great acts. Friendly music lovers. Congenial staff.

One of the original movie theaters in the Santa Cruz area. It is no longer used for showing current movies but has been saved from the fate of other older theaters and now has a second life as an entertainment venue. Popular entertainers can be seen performing here as well as local speakers giving topical speeches.

Classic experience. Great small venue.

Best shows, most relevant to our Santa Cruz community ~

Beauthiful place and stuning show of Snatam Kaur!

Oh....Rio theatre. I was expecting standing space and room to dance. I went to see Rodney Crowell, pretty cool artist by the way. And Jesse Daniel, new obsession he rocked it. After all the stories that I have heard about Rio theater. All the many many concerts that people have been to and not one person has ever said to me oh theres no standing room its sit down only. Instead I get a very dated theater with basically lighting that you would expect in a high school auditorium, and very cramped seating. Thank goodness the people I went to go see were entertainment enough and a great distraction from the decor of the entire theater around me. I get it guys. I get that there are many memories there and it probably hasnt changed the way it looks since 1980 something or even further back than that. But honestly the Rio needs a revamp. There should be seating available yes of course maybe just up in front and then standing-room in the back. But honestly Im going to think twice about going to see a show over at the Rio theater. The only time Im ever going to just go to the Rio theater is if its an artist that Ive always wanted to see or have never seen. Or the artist tickets are so cheap that its a once-in-a-lifetime deal. It was okay. And again people I dont expect much I really dont and this post may sound snobby to you. But I really dont care. If youre reading this post you obviously cared enough to know my opinion so sorry to all the people that have enjoyed the Rio theater for many many years and love its decor. But no thanks for me.

A local gem! I hope it stays here for decades to come!

Cool old movie theater, used to play movies. Ive seen some interesting things here, not just movies, but bsmds and plays and comedians too! Very retro in style, with an old school box office in front!

A great place to see acts up close. I go to the annual Reel Rock show and its always like a party.

Saw a great film here for the Santa Cruz Indie Surf Film Festival. A great classic venue in Santa Cruz for the arts and creative performances.Functional details: they also have bathrooms and snacks, but no alcohol (at least when I was there).

Nostalgia meets a wide variety of music and film events at this local gem off a repurposed movie theater from a bygone era.

Nice seated venue for concerts. Mens bathrooms are upstairs and womens bathrooms are located on the main floor. I think they also sell drinks and snacks near the entrance.

Great. Beautiful. Great performers.

I like the Rio Theater, one of the few great venues in town. Im giving it 3 stars because I feel the sound system could use help also the lighting can be better, spotlights on the audience, luckily I brought my sunglasses.

This place is just the right size to have shows at, my wife and I had gone here to see Christopher Titus the guy was extremely funny and he was gracious enough to come to the lobby after the show and sign autographs and take photos with fans this is how performers should treat their fans not like other performers.

Free public parking is available about a block away, I took my mom to see Mike Nesmith and it was a very intimate theatre. Unfortunately the mens bathroom is up a flight of stairs and I am not sure if they have a handicapped accessible one. There was some minor feedback during the show but other than that the sound was good.

This venue gets an eclectic range of acts including everyone from Flamenco guitar master Al Di Meola (@alDiMeolaMusic) to Mandolin master @David_Grisman. On 12/2/16 darkwave pioneer Peter Murphy (@PeterMurphyInfo) did an otherworldly set for a ½ full house. It was a little disappointing that more of Santa Cruz did not turn our for his show on a Friday night. Peter Murphy gave his all and we are grateful for the performance.Artists we need to come to Rio include• Suzanne Vega (@suzyV)• Emeliana Torrini (@EmilianaTorrini)• José Gonzalez (@_JoseGonzalez_)• The Weepies (@TheWeepies)How do we get them into the lineup?Tip: Theres plenty of free parking on side streets around the venue. Lock em up!

On the outside the venue looks dated but that added to its charm. The seats were okay. There may have been a slight smell, but not enough to put us off. We were watching a Dixie Dregs concert. The sound was great though - so we came out of that event happy enough.

Nothing quite like it. We sure hope the rumor isnt true that it will get taken out for City of Santa Cruz affordable housing infill master plan. Theres got to be a workaround to keep this iconic theatre space.

Great intimate venue. No bad seats in the house. No alcohol is served, so you have to get your cocktails elsewhere.

The seats are old and the womens bathroom is funky...but the Rio is a classic Santa Cruz venue and visits make for great memories.

Irma Thomas, Preservation Hall Jazz + Blind Boys from AL, were amazing last night! Love the Gold Circle area! Love the comfy seats up close. Great snacks, too.

The Rio is great. It is a small, stylish venue. We always have a good time whether we are seeing a concert or attending a community event, such as The Nexties. The snack bar could use a little help. Drink choices are limited to beer.

Nice, city sized venue to play or see a show. Very basic appointments and furnishings but a good hall for sounds. More intimate than its size would suggest.

Acoustics r awesome....enjoyed Jimmy Vaughn Saturday the 13th

Love Craigie & this venue!!!

An intimate venue with excellent acoustics. There isnt a bad seat in the house. I highly recommend it!

Great little theater. Good acts and not a bad sear in the house.

Wonderful ownership and friendly staff. Great atmosphere and pristine acoustics.

This is a great venue for shows. I was here for the annual Santa Cruz Surf Film Festival, which I highly recommend.

Great events...but always difficult if watching a movie..if one is short..seating very flat..:(..I need to bring a booster!! Lol!

Clean bathrooms, friendly staff, intimate concert venue. Parking can be dicey. Good food nearby.

Classic vibe. Good place to see a big band, on a big stage, with a lot of seats. Big old movie theater vibe. Seats about 800.

Great venue for any age group. Seating is ideal anywhere in the hall. Not a place for obnoxious drunkards

Wow, what an experience it was to get to meet and sing along with the all female Mariachi band; Reyna de Los Ángeles .The theater is perfect in size, well lit and the ambiance is delightful.

Great small venue

A nice, intimate theater. Great if you’re watching a sit-down performance. I watched a stand-up rock show though in which that type of venue wasn’t so great. I paid extra for the gold circle tickets up front but couldn’t stand because of the people behind me. I had to leave my front row center seat and stand to the far side in order to dance. It was also weird to see a bunch of people sitting at a rock show. The band seemed unimpressed.

Saw Anthony Jeselnik in April. The theater is decent on the inside. The mens bathroom is on the second story while the womens bathroom is on the first. If you arrive early and its raining, prepare to be wet.

Great old theater. Gets some of the biggest acts in Santa Cruz. Usually pretty good sound

Mac Powell & The Family Reunion, awesome night, stellar performance and perfect venue!

This is a gem of Santa Cruz. Great venue. I remember seeing movies here when it was a movie theatre too

Seats a little too close together and not much aisle room. Feels a bit like it was still the 1980s. And yet. Its a great resource for the community.

Nice old theater space. Saw Madeline Peyroux here. Nice staff. No disabled access to the mens restroom, which is upstairs. No elevator.

Nice small venue where awesome artists come. EXCELLENT!

Such a lovely place if you dobt mind being off the strip

Brings in great acts! Wonderful setting.

Hoping for a good show out of Robert Cray band. Show and venue are excellent

The Rio is an old icon. It has a slightly smoking oder when you first walk in. The organizers were great at getting people in quickly and were friendly.

Great place to see a show. Heres a picture of when I saw Eric Johnson at the Rio.

Nothing special. The seats arent very comfy and they dont serve beer.

Watched om. put on by folkyeah.

Intimate venue for popular artists. I recommend arriving early enough to get seated before the show.

A small intimate theater experience, always a pleasure to return.

Very fun performance here and comfortable seating.

Historic spot that has kept on goin If you have a band, movie or artist rolling through here, get in there with your kids, date, parents, or whoever and enjoy the evening!

Good acoustics, small venue.

Always get here early for good seats. sit a little bit back if its a dance crowd, which will block your view upclose.

Love this theatre! Old school and very cool. Our movie is debuting there June sixth 2017. Check it out Hope Dances

Great venue for all types of events. Comedy, local musicians, benefits and more. Love going there!

Great venue. For music lectures. And fun stuff.

Saw The Pink Floyd Experience...great venue--small & cozy and good acoustics

Concerts, documentaries, shows, movies...Sooooo glad I talked still has a viable purpose! Classic old style large format theater. Echoes with history... Dont miss an opportunity .

Fantastic intimate venue. Need bigger bathrooms.

Always enjoy acts at Rio. They know how to book them.

Unfortunately the staff needs to be updated more than anything else at this venue. Anis performance was great but the older man at the front door, grabbed things out of my hands without permission in front of my 12 year old daughter and was extremely rude. The staff also decided to leave floor room up front for this show for people to stand so everyone in seats had to stand to see performance but then another unfriendly man screamed at us all to sit or enter the crowded pit area. It really put a damper on the experience and we will see shows at the Mountain Winery from here on out even though we are Santa Cruz locals.

Great local place for shows.