Plaza Classic

Plaza Classic The Plaza Theatre, in downtown El Paso, Texas, was built during the Great Depression (at a cost of $1 million) and opened on September 12, 1930.
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The Plaza Classic Film Festival was created in 2008 to celebrate our rich cinema history and rekindle the joy of communal film-going – perfectly exemplified by the historic and newly restored, Plaza Theatre. Built in the “atmospheric” architectural style (in which you feel you are sitting out of doors in the courtyard of a Spanish hacienda), the Plaza Theatre was the grandest of the region’s movie

palaces. After a continuous run of over four and a half decades, the Plaza closed for good in the late ‘seventies and was threatened with demolition. Immediately, grassroots efforts arose to save the Plaza from the wrecking ball and the El Paso Community Foundation stepped in to take up the challenge of saving, preserving and finally restoring the Plaza Theatre. After many years of effort and almost $30 million, the Plaza Theatre once again reopened as the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center on March 17, 2006. Now the home of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and El Paso’s finest venue for music concerts and Broadway shows, the Plaza Theatre was missing just one component: a film projection system. Once again, the El Paso Community Foundation took the lead to fully restore this venerable movie palace to its historic glory: in the spring of 2008 the Foundation purchased and installed a state-of-art film and digital projection system and an enormous 50’ wide screen. For generations of El Pasoans, going to the movies, meant going to the Plaza Theatre. Thanks to the overwhelming community and corporate support during the Plaza Classic Film Festival’s first year, the festival has become one of the most anticipated events in the region’s cultural calendar. The Plaza Classic Film Festival is more than a nostalgia trip. One of the goals of the festival is to educate audiences about the history and art of the cinema and reawaken the joy of watching great films. With the help of special presenters and through our educational outreach programs and film talks, the festival provides many opportunities to expand your knowledge and appreciation of these “classics”. We are also committed to using the festival to look forward, and each festival includes programs to showcase the talents of local independent filmmakers. The Plaza Theatre is, without a doubt, one of the finest movie palaces in the country. Equally impressive is the fact that the Plaza Classic Film Festival is a non-commercial, all-volunteer endeavor and a special project of the El Paso Community Foundation. All proceeds from the festival go to the Plaza Film Fund to be used to provide grants to local filmmakers, underwriting for alternative film festivals and to support educational film initiatives in the area.

Our friends at the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department open this year's free Movies at the Park series with ...
05/29/2026

Our friends at the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department open this year's free Movies at the Park series with "Zootopia 2" at 8 pm today (Friday) at Cleveland Square Park, next to the El Paso Museum of History and the El Paso Mexican American Cultural Center. We helped them put together the schedule below. We're showing the first "Zootopia" movie as part of this year's Plaza Family series.

Going to the Selena and Salsa Market on Saturday in Union Plaza? You might like to know that we're showing "Selena" at 7...
05/28/2026

Going to the Selena and Salsa Market on Saturday in Union Plaza? You might like to know that we're showing "Selena" at 7 pm Friday, July 24 in the Plaza Theatre as part of this year's 19th annual Plaza Classic Film Festival, July 16-26. Tickets go on sale in June. Passes are on sale now at plazaclassic.com/tickets

Music, Americana and movies, oh my! Join us on July 16th at the Plaza Theatre for American Graffiti, our opening night m...
05/27/2026

Music, Americana and movies, oh my! Join us on July 16th at the Plaza Theatre for American Graffiti, our opening night movie for the 2026 Plaza Classic Film Festival! Individual tickets go on sale soon. Festival passes are already available at our website: plazaclassic.com/tickets

Remember when iconic writer-director Luis Valdez visited the 2025 Plaza Classic for screenings of "La Bamba" and "Zoot S...
05/05/2026

Remember when iconic writer-director Luis Valdez visited the 2025 Plaza Classic for screenings of "La Bamba" and "Zoot Suit"? A Festival Pass is a great way to take in all the sights and sounds of PCFF 2026, including admission to most ticketed events, an express entry lane and discounts at nearby eateries. We also have a Movies Only pass, which includes admission to most ticketed events and an express entry lane. The 19th annual Plaza Classic is July 16-26. Go to plazaclassic.com/tickets

Dr. Eger, author of "The Choice," was going to appear at PCFF 2020, but the COVID lockdown ended that. She lived in El P...
04/29/2026

Dr. Eger, author of "The Choice," was going to appear at PCFF 2020, but the COVID lockdown ended that. She lived in El Paso for a good portion of her incredible life. RIP, Dr. Eger.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Edith Eger, a beloved Holocaust survivor whose life and legacy have touched countless hearts. She was 98 years old.

Dr. Eger was far more than a survivor. She was a psychologist, educator, and author who dedicated her life to helping others heal. After enduring the horrors of the Holocaust at a young age, she chose not to let her past define her future. Instead, she transformed her pain into purpose, inspiring others to find hope, resilience, and the power of choice.

To honor her memory, we invite our community to experience her testimony through our Dimensions in Testimony exhibit. Visitors can interact with her testimony, ask questions, and learn more about her extraordinary life and message.

Showings will take place throughout this week and next week at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, and on Saturday at 3:00 pm.

We remember Dr. Eger with deep gratitude and will continue to carry her story forward.

Happy 85th birthday to the great Ann-Margret. Turner Classic Movies: TCM pays tribute to her tonight with a string of he...
04/28/2026

Happy 85th birthday to the great Ann-Margret. Turner Classic Movies: TCM pays tribute to her tonight with a string of her movies, beginning with "Bye Bye Birdie" at 6 pm El Paso time.

Happy birthday to the fabulous Ann-Margret!

We're celebrating with an evening of her films beginning with BYE BYE BIRDIE ('63) at 8pm ET.

We are greatly saddened by the loss Monday of our friend, advisor, classic film buff, and Plaza Theatre advocate Jay Dun...
03/24/2026

We are greatly saddened by the loss Monday of our friend, advisor, classic film buff, and Plaza Theatre advocate Jay Duncan. Jay was a movie theater manager, film memorabilia and movie collector, instructor, TV host, co-founder of the It Came From ... sci-fi film festival, and founder of Jay's Pix Presents and the Sunset Film Society. He led the grassroots effort to save the Plaza Theatre in the 1970s. And he was a longtime member of the Plaza Classic Film Festival's program advisory committee. We'll miss his smarts, his humor, his friendship, and, most of all, we'll miss him.

Sad news. He filmed "Lone Wolf McQuade" (1983) here. We showed it in 2018 when we featured dozens of films connected to ...
03/20/2026

Sad news. He filmed "Lone Wolf McQuade" (1983) here. We showed it in 2018 when we featured dozens of films connected to the El Paso area.

We are now accepting submissions for the 2026 edition of the Local Flavor Showcase and Awards. More than $3,500 in cash ...
03/17/2026

We are now accepting submissions for the 2026 edition of the Local Flavor Showcase and Awards. More than $3,500 in cash prizes will be awarded. Judges' selections will be shown July 26 in the Plaza Theatre. Go to plazaclassic.com/localflavor to enter.

The El Paso Community Foundation’s Plaza Classic Film Festival is accepting submissions for its ninth annual Local Flavor showcase and awards. More than $3,500 in cash prizes will be awarded.

Check out season six of the Plaza Classic Podcast, hosted by Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle at plazaclassic.com/PCFFPo...
02/24/2026

Check out season six of the Plaza Classic Podcast, hosted by Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle at plazaclassic.com/PCFFPodcast. Guests include film noir expert Alan Rode, Aaron Setliff of the County Attorney's office and PCFF program advisory committee members Jack Fields and Rebecca Mendez.

Address

125 Pioneer Plz
El Paso, TX
79901

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 11pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+19155334020

Website

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