Best of the Chippewa Valley

Reader Polls

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2022

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2023

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2024

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2025

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2026

« Back to Best of the Chippewa Valley Reader Poll 2025

Arts & Entertainment

top picks for music, events, arts, and theater

Poll Questions in this Category

Best All-Ages Hangout

Looking for fun that spans generations? Reboot Social (220 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) levels up to first place with its perfect blend of gaming and social atmosphere, featuring...

Best Art Exhibition From the Past Year

Wanna eat cheese, sip drinks and feel bougie while creating a lasting impression that helps you appreciate creativity and having an immersive experience? Go to an art exhibit!...

Best Art Gallery

Art is all around us, but these three galleries surpass the rest. Moving up a spot from last year, 2 Roots Art & Wine Gallery (214 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) takes the lead...

Best Bluegrass Band

If Them Coulee Boys were the only band we were allowed to listen to, I’m sure we’d all die happy while dancing in the dim light. The local favorites take the gold again...

Best Blues Band

Blues music is all about taking something sad and turning it into something glad. The Sue Orfield Band truly...

Best Choir

Raise your voice! First place goes to Stand in the Light Memory Choir, touching hearts with their mission of bringing...

Best Country Band/Artist

Chris Kroeze’s runner-up performance on The Voice in 2018 took the area by storm. It was the catalyst for his...

Best Cover Band

The common denominator with Uncommon Denominator’s members is that they are musical juggernauts who are forging...

Best Drag Performer

While Eau Claire has been ahead of the curve in being welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community for decades, drag performances...

Best Electronic Musician(s)

Get thee to The Nunnery, a truly prolific and iconic solo electronic artist in the Eau Claire music scene, and our...

Best Event of the Past Year

The Chippewa Valley is chock-full of fantastic events all throughout the year. Concerts, fairs, sporting events, and...

Best Folk Performer(s)

I’ve performed music locally for more than a decade, but my good friend Tyler can’t remember my music and...

Best Free Entertainment Option

Grab your lawn chair and pack a picnic for a family-friendly free night of fun! With a variety of artists hosted for the...

Best Hard Rock/Metal Band (original)

What do you get when you combine four long-haired 20-year-olds, sexy rock riffs, a shirtless drummer, and a bunch of...

Best Hip Hop Artist

Listening to TeawhYB is a consistently good time. His music is dope and always a positive vibe. You just can’t be...

Best Individual Musician

Being in a band is great, sure, but sometimes an individual musician can really make things shine. Whether fronting his...

Best Jazz Band

“Do you like jazz?” –Jerry Seinfeld as a bee in Bee Movie. With the delivery of that glorious...

Best Live Comedy Act

A lot of Eau Claire’s robust comedy scene comes from regional and nationally touring acts stopping through, but...

Best Local Album Released In The Last Year

While Bon Iver may be excluded from winning Best Overall Band nowadays, that didn’t stop them from winning Best...

Best Local Book Released In The Last Year

While raising bunnies, chickens, ducks, and goats, and growing apples, cherries, pears, and plums, Wisconsin hobby...

Best Local Musical

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea and dominates local theater? First place goes to The SpongeBob Musical presented...

Best Local Play (non-musical)

The curtain rises on another great year of local theater! One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, presented by the Chippewa...

Best Movie Theater

Calling all movie buffs! Micon Cinemas Eau Claire (3109 Mall Drive) takes first place with comfy recliner seating...

Best Mural

Menomonie-based tattoo artist Melville Georgakopoulos (@chilidog_art) transformed the exterior of sustainable flower and...

Best Music Festival

If I’m counting right, there just might be as many music festivals in the Chippewa Valley now as there are artisan...

Best Musical Performance (touring or local)

There were literally thousands of musical performances over the past 365 days in the Chippewa Valley. Some good, some...

Best New Band / Artist

I know, you’re content with the music you’ve loved all your life. It’s comfortable. I get it, but...

Best Overall Band

It doesn’t matter if you perform rock, country, bluegrass, metal, pop, blues, Peruvian techno, or Icelandic...

Best Place for Live Music

The Chippewa Valley’s love of art and music is apparent in this category. The top-voted Best Place for Live Music...

Best Public Art Installation (non-gallery)

For the 14th consecutive year, Sculpture Tour Eau Claire is readers’ favorite. Launched in 2010 with 12...

Best Scenic Photographer

It’s not as easy as you’d think to capture the perfect scenic photograph, but these three have it mastered...

Best Touring Theatrical Production

Live theater offers no closed captioning or pausing for bathroom breaks, and you can’t wear your pajamas (right...

Favorite Local Author

For the 18th consecutive year, farm boy-turned-humorist Michael Perry once again nabs the No. 1 spot in our books and in...

Favorite Local Visual Artist (Individual)

We’re bursting at the seams with creative artists, so asking our readers to choose three of their favorites was an...

Next:

Best of the Holidays

Next Category »

Staff • Contributors • Careers

Have questions? Email us: • editorial@volumeone.org(Editorial,) • web@volumeone.org(Website,) • manager@thelocalstore.org(Store,)

Terms of Use / Privacy Policy | ©2002-2026 Copyright Volume One Magazine