Apollo Theater: Harlem’s Legendary Stage

The Apollo Theater is a pop culture legend right in the heart of Harlem. It's the «soul of American culture,» just like its slogan says: the soul of American Culture. Keep reading and you'll see how true that is.

Its talent contests, held since 1934 and known as Amateur Night, gave the world show business phenomena like Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, the Jackson Five, and Stevie Wonder.

Why does the Apollo Theater matter?

The Apollo Theater wasn't always «pop.» It opened in 1914 as a burlesque theater, and changed course in 1933 when the city banned those Parisian-style erotic shows.

That's how a new chapter began in 1934 with amateur nights. Those contests have been running ever since, making it one of the oldest talent competitions in the United States.

The Apollo Theater also programs concerts, plays and educational programs for the community, which makes it the cultural heart of Upper Manhattan.

The theater's symbolic power runs so deep that in June 2009, when Michael Jackson died, crowds gathered at its doors and all around it, turning the place into a shrine where people mourned and honored the artist who got his first applause at the Apollo.

Another sign of how much the theater means to American culture is the APOLLO / POLL installation (2017), which you can see at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens.

In this recreation of the Apollo's neon sign, only the letters «POLL» light up, a celebration of democratic elections, so well symbolized by the way the theater's amateur nights work.

Amateur nights at the Apollo Theater

They say the Apollo invented the talent competition more than 80 years ago. What's certain is that the Amateur Night format inspired globally broadcast talent shows like Star Search and American Idol.

The Apollo's Amateur Nights, famous for discovering talents like Ella Fitzgerald and the Jackson Five, are currently on hiatus because of a major renovation of the theater.

The program is expected to return once the work wraps up, possibly in late 2025. In the meantime, some Apollo programming continues at the Apollo Stages at the Victoria complex, right next door.

Keep an eye on the theater's website for news on when Amateur Night comes back.

It's worth going because you get to be part of the future of pop culture, judging the hopeful performers with your applause, and you might just witness the next music legend!

Guided tours of the Apollo Theater

If your trip doesn't line up with an amateur night or a show you're interested in, but you still want to see the inside of this legendary Harlem theater, you can take one of its guided tours.

And if you're only walking past, don't miss the Walk of Fame in front of the theater entrance. There you'll find bronze plaques engraved with the names of all the famous artists who launched their careers at this landmark Harlem theater.

These are one-hour guided tours that walk you through music history and the boulevard of dreams, as this avenue came to be called. Check the tour schedule on the theater's site, since it changes a lot.

Because of the theater's renovation, guided tours are suspended until further notice, but it's still worth stopping by to see the iconic marquee and the Walk of Fame from outside.

What's happening at the Apollo during the renovation?

Even though the main Apollo Theater building is closed for renovation work, which includes everything from new seating to a cafe, the cultural programming hasn't stopped.

Some performances have moved to the Apollo Stages at the Victoria, a new theater space just steps from the original building. You can check the theater's lineup here.

Harlem walking tour

On this guided tour of Harlem you'll visit landmark spots in pop culture history, including the Apollo Theater

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Apollo Theater address:
253 W 125th St.

Getting there
Subway lines A, B, C or D. 125th Street station
Subway lines 2 or 3. 125th Street station