Carolina Theatre of Durham
The Carolina Theatre of Durham is a city-owned 1926 theatre at 309 West Morgan Street in downtown Durham, whose main room, Fletcher Hall, seats 1,108 across an orchestra level and two balconies, with two cinemas alongside. The Durham Centre garage directly across the street charges $7 for events, and street meters are free after 7pm and all weekend. Two elevators serve every level, the hall has a hearing loop, and payment inside is cashless.
Before you go
- Capacity
- 1048
- Indoor or outdoor
- Indoor: Fletcher Hall on three levels plus two cinemas
- Official site
- carolinatheatre.org
- Next festival here
- Moogfest, Dates to be announced
Worth knowing before you go
- Event parking in the Durham Centre garage is card only and the $7 event rate starts 90 minutes before showtime.
- No outside food or drink, including alcohol, and bags may go through security scanners.
- ASL interpreters are free for live events but should be requested 45 days ahead through the Barnes Box Office.
- Film festivals and Retro Film Series screenings have no audio description or captioning unless noted.
- Cash is not accepted anywhere inside; it is debit, credit or Apple Pay.
Festivals here
Venue basics: Fletcher Hall seats 1,108 on three levels · $7 event parking in the garage across the street · Elevators to orchestra and both balconies.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- you want a 1,100-seat historic hall with elevators to every level
- hearing support matters: loop system, headsets and free ASL
- you are driving and want cheap, close parking
Think twice if
- you rely on cash
- you want to bring your own food or drinks
Getting there and parking
The theatre is at 309 W. Morgan Street, Durham, NC 27701, three blocks along Morgan Street from Mangum Street and directly across from the Durham Centre parking garage. From Hwy 70 take the Durham Downtown exit 177-A and follow 15-501 Business South about a mile before turning right onto Morgan; from I-40 use the Durham Freeway to exit 4A at Chapel Hill Street.
The Durham Centre garage at 300 W Morgan Street is a one-minute walk: event parking is $7 by card from 90 minutes before showtime, and daytime parking is $2.25 an hour. The Morgan Rigsbee garage five minutes away is free on weekdays after 7pm and at weekends, and street meters cost $2.50 an hour Monday to Friday and are free after 7pm and all day Saturday and Sunday.
The Barnes Box Office is open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 6pm and from an hour before live performances. Lobby doors usually open an hour before an event and house doors 30 minutes before; the Cinema Box Office opens 30 minutes before the first screening of the day.
Accessibility
Accessible drop-off is on Morgan Street by the marquee, with curb cuts from the city sidewalks. Two elevators cover all three levels: one serves the Orchestra, Balcony One and Balcony Two in Fletcher Hall and the other serves the cinema box office and both cinemas. Accessible seating on the Orchestra level and in both cinemas is sold at the lower price level, online or through the Barnes Box Office on (919) 560-3030.
Headsets and neck loops for T-Coil hearing aids can be borrowed from the box office in the Kirby Lobby against an ID, and the hall's loop system works directly with telecoil hearing aids and cochlear implants. ASL interpreters for live events are free and best requested 45 days ahead, service animals are permitted, and most first-run films offer audio description or closed caption devices.
Accessible parking on Morgan Street and in the Durham Centre garage is subject to availability, and film festivals and Retro Film Series screenings do not carry audio description or captioning unless otherwise noted.
Confirm your specific needs with the venue before you travel (carolinatheatre.org).
Camping
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at the Carolina Theatre. The venue's own pages are the place to check: carolinatheatre.org.
Food, water and what you can bring
Everything inside is cashless: debit cards, credit cards and Apple Pay only. Orchestra-level seats gained cupholders in 2024, and the old water fountains are now bottle filling stations with small paper cups, so bring an empty refillable bottle.
No alcohol or any other outside food and drink. All guests and bags are subject to inspection, possibly with security scanners, and professional cameras with removable lenses and recording equipment are barred at the artist's discretion. The theatre cannot store personal items for you.
Sound and sensory
Fletcher Hall is T-Coil compliant, so hearing aids and cochlear implants with a telecoil link straight to the loop sound system. The 2024 seat replacement also resurfaced the auditorium floor and upgraded the front-of-house audio and lighting.
Recently at the Carolina Theatre
Dancing With The Carolina Stars Annual Fundraiser 2025 Highlights
From the venue · Mar 27, 2026
Dancing With The Carolina Stars Annual Fundraiser 2024 Highlights
From the venue · Mar 27, 2026
What is The Wavemakers Series?
From the venue · Sep 25, 2025
Quick answers
Where do I park for the Carolina Theatre of Durham?
The Durham Centre garage directly across Morgan Street: $7 by card for events, from 90 minutes before showtime. The Morgan Rigsbee garage and street meters are free after 7pm on weekdays and all weekend.
Is the Carolina Theatre wheelchair accessible?
Yes. There is drop-off on Morgan Street, curb cuts, two elevators serving every level, and accessible seating on the Orchestra level and in both cinemas at the lower price level.
How many seats are in Fletcher Hall?
1,108 after the 2024 seat replacement, across the Orchestra level, Balcony One and Balcony Two.
Can I bring food or drink into the Carolina Theatre?
No. Outside food, drink and alcohol are prohibited, bags are inspected, and payment inside is cashless. You can bring an empty bottle for the filling stations.
Does the Carolina Theatre have a hearing loop?
Yes. Fletcher Hall is T-Coil compliant, and headsets or neck loops can be borrowed from the box office against an ID.
What time do doors open at the Carolina Theatre?
Lobby doors usually open one hour before an event and house doors 30 minutes before. The Barnes Box Office opens an hour before live performances.
Can I get an ASL interpreter at the Carolina Theatre?
Yes. Interpreters for live events are free; call the Barnes Box Office on (919) 560-3030, ideally 45 days before the event.
Can I camp at the Carolina Theatre?
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at the Carolina Theatre. The venue's own pages at carolinatheatre.org are the place to check.
A little history
Built in 1926 as the Durham Auditorium and renamed the Carolina Theatre three years later, the city-owned venue was segregated for more than 37 years, with Black patrons limited to a second balcony reached by 97 steps. Protests begun by the NAACP youth chapter in November 1960 led the City of Durham to desegregate the theatre on August 5, 1963, a story told in the free Confronting Change exhibit.
Closure and demolition loomed in 1977, volunteers led by Connie Moses and Pepper Fluke saved and restored it from 1978, Bull Durham had its world premiere here in June 1988, and a cinema wing opened in 1994 under the nonprofit that still runs it. Fletcher Hall has since held Moogfest, film festivals and the theatre's own OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival and Durham FRINGE Festival.