2026-2027 season

This season, we’re offering an exciting lineup of family-friendly and Youth Series events—including free outdoor performances, discounted shows, educational lectures, and more!

Bring the youth in your life to any of our live performances and experience the enrichment that only comes through participation in the performing arts. Our Youth Series performances meet many curricular standards, and events fill up quickly, so purchase your tickets today!

Group Sales are available to all Purdue Convocations events. Please email Erin at convoseducation@purdue.edu for more information.

FREE PERFORMANCES & Lectures

A lively street band in colorful, eccentric costumes performs energetically in a park during one of West Lafayette’s vibrant musical performances, as a crowd watches. Musicians play brass and percussion instruments under green trees on a dirt path, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of Purdue Convocations events.

Free at Purdue in Indianapolis and West Lafayette

This merry band of misfits will roam Purdue’s Indianapolis and West Lafayette campuses, providing a variety of free pop-up performances. Fusing DIY punk aesthetics, Balkan brass, and marching-band maximalism, Mucca Pazza presents an eminently danceable embrace of the absurd.

A person with brown skin wearing a colorful headwrap in red, yellow, and green, perfect for the 30th Annual West Lafayette Global Fest, looks directly at the camera. They have tattoos, rings, a septum piercing, and a beaded bracelet. — Bia Ferreira will perform on the Global Fest Main Stage

Free Festival in Downtown West Lafayette

Celebrate global cultures with cuisine, activities, and music from Ghana, Brazil, Ukraine, and more.

FREE / September 19

Two actors in colorful period costumes perform on stage outdoors, delivering a dynamic introduction to Shakespeare’s Othello: one gestures passionately while the other looks serious, standing near a textured wall with a large, blue-stained area.

Brush up on Shakespeare’s Othello

Before the performances of Othello in October, join us for a lecture from Purdue Liberal Arts faculty to explore the tragedy of an honorable person coming undone by “the green-eyed monster” of jealousy.

September 21 / FREE RSVP

Discounted Performances

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men

United Kingdom-based theatre company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men presents a historically informed production of Shakespeare’s tragedy that is true to the Elizabethan era.

October 14-15 in Loeb Playhouse

Youth Series Pricing
$22 Students & Adults
*Youth Series pricing only valid for Zones C, D, E, F (PL 3-6)

A man with spiky blond hair and a goatee wears an orange lab coat, black gloves with yellow accents, and round black goggles. He covers his ears with his fingers and makes a surprised, wide-mouthed expression.

Doktor Kaboom

Doktor Kaboom returns with Under Pressure!—a new show blending interactive science, comedy, and personal empowerment.
Experience how physical science concepts serve as powerful metaphors for navigating real-life mental and emotional stress.

Nov. 22 in Loeb Playhouse

Youth Series Pricing:
$8 Students / $20 Adults
*Youth Series pricing is not valid on Zone A/PL 1

Marvel Studios

The North American Tour features a screening of the groundbreaking film electrified by live performances from world-class Hollywood studio musicians, African rhythm masters, and powerhouse vocalists, delivering the award-winning score and soundtrack in a truly unforgettable experience.

Feb. 27, 2027 in Elliott Hall of Music

Youth Series Pricing:
$30 Students & Adults
*Youth Series pricing only valid for Zones D, E, F, G (PL 4-7)

Five performers in traditional attire enthusiastically play Japanese taiko drums on stage, each holding drumsticks mid-motion, with energetic expressions and dramatic lighting highlighting the scene. From KODO: Luminance

Japanese Taiko Drummers

KODO: Luminance transforms rhythm into radiant storytelling, blending powerful taiko drumming with global influences. Featuring iconic pieces like O-daiko and Monochrome alongside new works, Kodo celebrates 40+ years of connection, culture, and sound—bringing audiences together in a vibrant, unforgettable performance.

March 5, 2027 in Elliott Hall of Music

Youth Series Pricing:
$30 Students & Adults
*Youth Series pricing only valid for Zones D, E, F, G (PL 4-7)

More Youth and Family Events

Learn more about these engaging cultural experiences for your family and students.

Bang on a Can All-Stars

The Bang on a Can All-Stars have collaborated with and performed the music of fellow New Yorkers Philip Glass and Steve Reich. With 90/90, the ensemble celebrates the music of these great composers and their 90th birthday milestones. November 5 in Loeb Playhouse

Six performers from Gravity and Other Myths do handstands on stage in front of a large neon digital clock display, with two standing on boxes and a drummer playing in the background under purple lighting.

Gravity & Other Myths: Ten Thousand Hours

Eight world-class acrobats push the limits of strength, trust, and human potential in Ten Thousand Hours, a breathtaking performance from acclaimed Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths. November 19 in Loeb Playhouse

A woman in a purple sequined dress sits on stairs, leaning against a wall and holding a trumpet. Sunlight comes through a window beside her.

Bria Skonberg: Jingle Bell Swing

Award-winning trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg brings her unique jazz flair to seasonal favorites this December, including her hit cover of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You,” Sia’s “Santa Is Coming for Us,” “Christmas Island,” and many more. Skonberg seamlessly blends smoky vocals with her blistering trumpet skills. Join us for this festive performance. December 6 in Loeb Playhouse

Allison Miller, sporting short hair and a blue shirt, smiles while playing the drum set on stage for Boom Tic Boom, drumsticks in hand and a microphone stand in the foreground.

37th Annual Purdue Jazz Festival: Boom Tic Boom

Acclaimed drummer Allison Miller headlines the Purdue Jazz Festival; high school workshops the following day. January 22 in Loeb Playhouse

Six actors in colorful, vintage costumes stand in a dramatic pose, appearing startled and listening at a wooden door in a dimly lit, ornate room with purple wallpaper and wood paneling—a scene reminiscent of Broadway’s classic wit and suspenseful style, evoking the mysterious atmosphere of Clue.

Clue

Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist. January 27 in Elliott Hall of Music

A black-and-white portrait of actor Richard Thomas as Mark Twain. He appear as an older man with wavy white hair, a bushy mustache, and a serious expression, dressed in a light suit and tie

Richard Thomas in Mark Twain Tonight!

Hal Holbrook’s legendary one-man show about the great American author and humorist Mark Twain. February 16 in Loeb Playhouse

A line of dancers in coordinating costumes performs a synchronized high-kick routine on stage, with motion and energy evident in their movements and expressions.

Riverdance 30

For 30 years, Riverdance has captivated audiences around the world with its iconic blend of Irish and international dance, Grammy Award-winning music, and electrifying performances. February 24 in Elliott Hall of Music

The Wiz

This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world. April 28 in Elliott Hall of Music