Crystal Theatre Description

Crystal Theatre is an independent single-screen movie theater in downtown Carbondale, Colorado, featuring 125 seats in an intimate, historic setting within the Dinkel building. The theater shows first-run films several times a week along with classic movies and special events, serving families and movie enthusiasts throughout the Roaring Fork Valley with a personal movie-going experience that offers an alternative to large multiplex theaters.

The theater maintains regular showtimes featuring current releases and hosts special movie events, community screenings, and private parties. In addition to cinema programming, the venue serves as a multi-use space hosting benefits for filmmakers and organizations and has been a downvalley venue for AspenFilmfest/Shortsfest since 1996. The theater provides quality entertainment at affordable prices in a clean, comfortable, friendly atmosphere, welcoming audiences of all ages seeking entertainment in a neighborhood theater with character and local ownership.

Since September 2025, the Crystal Theatre Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has owned and operated the theater. The Alliance’s mission is to educate and enrich individuals and communities through diverse and accessible cultural experiences by offering programs in cinema, fostering education, and shared activities in an inclusive and welcoming multi-media community auditorium space. The Alliance is working to expand the theater’s offerings beyond movies to include live performances, youth programs, bilingual events, mental health talks, speaker series, and school partnerships. The organization has raised $300,000 toward a $500,000 goal to complete essential AV and space upgrades, sign a long-term lease and build programming, and purchase the business and all assets. These upgrades will preserve the Crystal Theatre as a beloved community anchor while transforming it into a dynamic venue serving future generations as a home for film, arts, culture, and civic gatherings.

The historic theater space was built circa 1912 as part of the W.M. Dinkel Mercantile Company store and converted to a movie theater in 1949. After closing in 1962 due to television’s rise, Bob and Kathy Ezra reopened the theater in 1985 and operated it for 40 years before the Alliance assumed operations. The theater converted to digital projection in 2013 and weathered COVID-19 closure from March 2020 to June 2021.

Services: First-Run Films, Classic Movies, Modern Movies, Special Events, Community Screenings, Private Parties, Live Performances
Category: Entertainment
Features: Family, Movie theaters, Events
Address: 427 Main Street, Carbondale, CO
Directions: View on Google Maps