Union County Performing Arts Center
Upcoming concerts in New York City
About Union County Performing Arts Center
Union County Performing Arts Center’s Main Stage in Rahway, New Jersey, is a 1,334-seat concert and performing-arts house in the former Rahway Theatre. Its strongest calling card remains in the room: the original Wurlitzer theatre organ, installed for silent films and now restored as a 500-pipe instrument designed for this auditorium. The result is a full-scale proscenium setting that carries the architectural scale of a 1920s movie palace into contemporary concerts.
A movie palace, reclaimed for the stage
New York architect David M. Oltarsch designed the classical-revival Rahway Theater, constructed in 1927–1928 as a movie and vaudeville house. Its Wurlitzer accompanied silent films, giving today’s Main Stage a surviving piece of its original musical machinery instead of a period-style substitute.
A local preservation campaign shifted the building’s course in the 1980s: the Rahway Theatre officially became the Union County Arts Center in October 1985. A 1992 New Jersey Historic Preservation Bond Program grant then funded work on the brick exterior, windows, roof, auditorium plaster, entrances, and seating, aiming to return the house to its 1928 appearance.
The later UCPAC organization broadened the campus in September 2012 with Hamilton Stage, a 199-seat space for smaller productions. That split lets the historic Main Stage retain its grand-scale presentation while the newer room handles intimate theatre, dance, music, and film.
The room and the calendar
UCPAC presents concerts, comedy, dance, theatre, movies, family programming, and multicultural events, while its rental program also accommodates live concerts, film and television shoots, ceremonies, corporate meetings, and galas. Music programming spans country, hip-hop, R&B, pop, classical, rock, Latin, and folk. Main Stage seating rises through Orchestra, Loge, and Mezzanine levels; the design has no overhanging balconies. A lobby café bar serves cocktails, beer, wine, soft drinks, and snacks, making this a seated theatre night with intermission-friendly amenities.
Sources
- History of UCPAC — Union County Performing Arts Center
- Rahway Theater — New Jersey Historic Trust
- Venue Rentals — Union County Performing Arts Center
- Events in Rahway, NJ at UCPAC — Union County Performing Arts Center
- Upcoming shows
- 34
- Address
- 1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ 07065
- Phone
- (732) 499-8226
- Next show
- Mon, 24 Aug 2026
Next 15 shows
- Mon, 24 Aug 2026 · 10:00 PHOTOGRAPHY CAMP – AUGUST 24-28 View in the CrowdMate app
- Thu, 27 Aug 2026 · 19:00 ALL-4-ONE – MAYOR'S CONCERT SERIES View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 29 Aug 2026 · 20:00 RANJIT BAWA LIVE IN CONCERT – POSTPONED – NEW DATE TBA View in the CrowdMate app
- Thu, 17 Sept 2026 · 19:00 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES IN 35MM View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 18 Sept 2026 · 19:00 MOANA SING-ALONG – POPCORN & PAJAMAS View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 18 Sept 2026 · 20:00 SHOSHANA BEAN ONLY SMOKE TOUR View in the CrowdMate app
- Sun, 20 Sept 2026 · 14:00 SKULLDUGGERY – A MAGICAL PIRATE ADVENTURE – SFT View in the CrowdMate app
- Wed, 23 Sept 2026 · 11:00 CELEBRANDO CON CUENTOS – HISPANIC HERITAGE STORYTIMEjust announced View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 3 Oct 2026 · 19:00 STOP THE FUNERAL – THE REMIX View in the CrowdMate app
- Sun, 4 Oct 2026 · 14:00 ILLUMINATION – A HAUNTED CONCERT BY CANDLELIGHT + IAN FRASER & THE BIGGEST LITTLE WURLITZER ORGAN View in the CrowdMate app
- Thu, 8 Oct 2026 · 18:00 FLIGHT NIGHT View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 9 Oct 2026 · 20:00 JAANE PEHCHAANE ANJANE View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 10 Oct 2026 · 20:00 BROADWAY’S ROCK OF AGES BAND® LIVE IN CONCERT View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 16 Oct 2026 · 19:00 COCO – POPCORN & PAJAMAS View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 16 Oct 2026 · 20:00 VIAJE TROPICAL – TONY SUCCAR CON MAURICIO MESONES View in the CrowdMate app
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