When the Sunrise opened on August 1, 1923, it was a vaudeville house with the largest stage between Jacksonville and Miami. Architect John N. Sherwood designed it in the Mediterranean Revival style, and it was built for plays, movies and variety shows. The Fort Pierce painter A.E. Backus became its resident artist in 1930.
Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie area
Sunrise Theatre
117 South Second Street, Fort Pierce · 30 upcoming shows
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Know before you go
Dark, then saved
By 1983 the theater had fallen into disrepair and closed. Preservationists bought the building in 1997, a $750,000 grant paid for a partial reopening in 1999, and the Sunrise went on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. After a full restoration, it reopened in January 2006. The City of Fort Pierce owns it, and in 2026 the city brought in VenuWorks to manage it.
The theater
The main house seats about 1,200, and a black box theater holds roughly 145 to 210 depending on the setup. The stage has hosted Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Itzhak Perlman, Vince Gill, Bryan Adams, Lindsey Buckingham, Ziggy Marley and Dave Brubeck, and Kris Kristofferson gave his last full concert here. For a downtown theater in a town the size of Fort Pierce, that is quite a list.
Show night downtown
The Sunrise is in the heart of historic downtown Fort Pierce, within sight of the Indian River Lagoon. Get there early and walk the waterfront by the City Marina, where the Saturday farmers market sets up at Marina Square. Plan to park downtown and walk a few blocks, and check your ticket for curtain times.
Getting here
Fort Pierce sits right off I-95 and Florida's Turnpike, so the drive is simple from Port St. Lucie, Stuart or Vero Beach. Coming from Orlando, the Turnpike runs straight down to Fort Pierce, which makes a matinee here an easy day trip.
Up the coast, the King Center in Melbourne is the next big hall on the Space Coast. Browse country dates around the state, and open the Treasure Coast page for every show from Stuart to Vero Beach.