The Heights Theater celebrates its 100th anniversary October 1–8, 2026, with an eight-day centennial festival honoring a century of moviegoing in Columbia Heights.

The program features eleven films representing every decade from the 1920s through today, including 35mm and 70mm presentations, live accompaniment on the theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ, special introductions, and guest presentations

 Highlights include Sunset Boulevard on 35mm, Safety Last! with a live score by house organist Ed Copeland, The Shining, The Matrix, and a 70mm presentation of Babylon on October 8, exactly 100 years after the Heights first opened its doors.

The celebration begins October 1 at 9 a.m. with a centennial ceremony featuring Columbia Heights Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula, who will present a city proclamation recognizing the theater’s 100th anniversary and officially declaring October 8 Heights Theater Day.

Built in 1926, the Heights is the oldest continuously operating show house in the Twin Cities. The historic single-screen theater still presents films using both classic and modern exhibition formats, with operational 35mm and 70mm projectors alongside digital projection.

The centennial is designed not only to celebrate the theater’s history, but also to highlight its continued role as an active neighborhood cultural institution. Individual tickets and a limited number of festival passes are available through the Heights Theater.