Bakersfield Nile Theater

The Nile Theater sits a block from its sister room, the Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater, on 19th Street in downtown Bakersfield. It opened in 1906 as the Bakersfield Opera House and was completely rebuilt by Fox West Coast Theatres in 1938 — the 1938 exterior is still the one you walk up to. After decades of vaudeville, touring productions and blockbuster films, the room was bought in 2023 by the non-profit Fox Theater Foundation, thanks to a gift from Cynthia Lake, and is being restored and booked as a performance and event venue. At 700 standing or 356 seated it is the Foundation's flexible room, and the calendar reflects that: hip-hop, Latin and R&B concerts (Berner, Talib Kweli, Elias Medina, NB Ridaz), dance nights and raves (United We Dance, BLADE RAVE, FANTASIAS), and touring standup such as the Boobay & Tekla Comedy Tour. Shows are all ages — everyone attending needs a ticket regardless of age — and the venue is cashless with a clear-bag policy; the shared Fox box office at 1700 20th Street handles tickets, ADA seating and assistive hearing devices.