Rio Grande Theatre, Movie theater and cultural venue in Las Cruces, United States

The Rio Grande Theatre is a movie theater and performance venue featuring Renaissance architectural details located at 211 North Main Street in downtown Las Cruces. The two-story adobe building displays its historic facade with distinctive elements in the heart of the city center.

The venue opened in 1926 when the Central Theatres Corporation from Denver launched it as a cinema showing silent films on opening night. Since then it has remained an important entertainment destination in the city.

The theater serves as a gathering place where the community comes to watch films, live performances, and attend family shows throughout the year. Its programming reflects what matters to people in Las Cruces today.

Visitors can attend events year-round and should check the current schedule ahead of time to plan for the performances they want to see. The building sits in the downtown area and is easy to reach on foot from other city attractions.

The Rio Grande Theatre survived both an earthquake and a fire in the early 1930s, then kept showing films until financial hardship closed it in 1997. The Doña Ana Arts Council bought and restored it, reopening in 2005. Musicians such as Judy Collins, Joe Bonamassa and Wishbone Ash have performed on its stage.