The Flynn opened on November 26, 1930, as a state-of-the-art vaudeville house built at a cost of $500,000 by entrepreneur John J. Flynn. The Art Deco interior — polychrome-banded ceiling, translucent lighting fixtures with metal filigree, ornamental organ grilles flanking the proscenium — was designed to stop you in your tracks, and it still does. Nine decades of performances later, after a full restoration and a new life as a performing arts center, the Flynn remains the flagship cultural institution of downtown Burlington.
200,000 people attend performances here each year. The programming is deliberately broad: touring concerts, Broadway productions, comedy, dance, and jazz alongside a nationally recognized student matinee series. For a North Country audience making the drive across Lake Champlain, it is the kind of room that justifies the trip before the first note plays.
The Room
The Main Stage seats 1,454 in a restored Art Deco auditorium where the acoustic warmth is immediately noticeable and every seat has a clear sightline to the stage. Flynn Space, the smaller room inside the same building, is a flexible club-style setting — roughly 200 seats depending on configuration — used for jazz, acoustic music, comedy, and experimental programming. The two rooms run independent booking calendars. Check flynnvt.org for the authoritative schedule and ticket links, as the Flynn uses multiple platforms depending on the event.
Getting There
The Flynn is at 153 Main Street in downtown Burlington, walkable from Church Street and the waterfront. Parking is available in the Burlington Town Center garage on St. Paul Street and the Cherry Street Garage, both within a few minutes’ walk. From Plattsburgh or the North Country, take I-89 South to Exit 14W into Burlington — the Flynn is about five minutes from the interstate. Rideshare works well here given the downtown density.
The Burlington Scene
The Flynn sits in one of the most walkable downtown cores in the Northeast. Church Street’s pedestrian marketplace is literally around the corner, with restaurants and bars in every direction. Burlington’s waterfront park and the Lake Champlain promenade are a ten-minute walk — a pre-show stroll worth building into your evening if the weather allows.
Insider Tips
- Arrive early enough to spend a few minutes in the lobby. The Art Deco restoration details — the ceiling work especially — are worth taking in before the house lights dim.
- The Flynn Space calendar runs independently from the Main Stage. Two different rooms, two different booking streams; check both.
- Coming from the North Country, I-89 is fast and predictable. Plan for about an hour from Plattsburgh center to downtown Burlington.
- The Flynn books broadly — concerts, theater, Broadway touring productions, comedy. If you haven’t looked at the calendar recently, look again.
Nearby
- Leunig’s Bistro (115 Church Street) — French-leaning institution a block from the Flynn. Open since 1980, still the prime pre-show destination on Church Street.
- Bistro de Margot (126 College Street) — Consistently Burlington’s top-rated restaurant. Book ahead if you want a table before curtain.
- Vermont Pub & Brewery (144 College Street) — The pub option. House-brewed beer, solid food, no reservation required.