- Jan 4 "Father" opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 52 performances
- Jan 7 "Crazy after You" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 1622 performances
- Jan 7 "Fool Moon" closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after * performances
- Jan 14 "Holiday" closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC after 49 performances
- Jan 14 "Swinging On a Star" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 97 performances
- Jan 26 "Les Miserables" opens at Musichall Theatre, Duisburg
- Jan 28 "Hello Dolly!" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 118 performances
Music Awards
Jan 29 23rd American Music Awards: Garth Brooks wins
Garth Brooks
Album Release
Feb 13 Rapper Tupac Shakur releases his 4th studio album 'All Eyez on Me'
Tupac Shakur
Event of Interest
Feb 13 British boy band Take That officially announce that they are disbanding, prompting UK government to set up counselling phone lines
Robbie Williams
- Feb 13 "The Score" 2nd studio album by Fugees is released (Billboard no. 1 year end Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 1996)
- Feb 22 "Bus Stop" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 29 performances
- Feb 25 "Father" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 52 performances
- Feb 28 38th Grammy Awards: Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morisette wins
- Mar 17 "Bus Stop" closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC after 29 performances
- Mar 17 "Getting Away With Murder" opens at Broadhurst NYC for 17 performances
- Mar 20 "Love Thy Neighbor" opens at Booth Theater NYC
- Mar 21 "Night of the Iguana" opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 68 performances
- Mar 27 "State Fair" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 118 performances
- Mar 28 "Seven Guitars" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
- Mar 29 10th Soul Train Music Awards: Patti Labelle, Boyz II Men
- Mar 31 "Getting Away With Murder" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 17 performances
- Mar 31 "A Midsummer Night's Dream" opens at Lunt-Fontanne NYC for 66 performances
- Apr 4 "Inherit the Wind" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 45 performances
- Apr 7 Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to win Singer Cup in Singapore
- Apr 14 "Apple Doesn't Fall" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 1 performance
- Apr 15 "Apple Doesn't Fall" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 1 performance
- Apr 18 "Funny Thing Happened" opens at St James Theater NYC for 715 performances
- Apr 21 "Delicate Balance" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC
- Apr 24 "Jack-Night on Town with John Barrymore" opens at Belasco for 12 performances
Music Awards
Apr 24 31st Academy of Country Music Awards: Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, and Patty Loveless win
Shania Twain
Film Release
Apr 29 "Rent", starring Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, opens at Nederlander Theater NYC
Idina Menzel
- May 12 "Inherit the Wind" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 45 performances
- May 12 "Night of the Iguana" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 68 performances
- May 18 41st Eurovision Song Contest: Eimear Quinn for Ireland wins singing "The Voice" in Oslo
- May 21 "You're Makin' Me High" single released by Toni Braxton (Grammy Award Best Female R&B Vocal Performance 1997)
- May 22 "Tartuffe: Born Again" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 29 performances
- May 26 "Midsummer Night's Dream" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 66 performances
- Jun 10 30th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson
- Jun 23 "Tartuffe: Born Again" closes at Circle in Sq NYC after 29 performances
- Jun 30 "Buried Child" closes at Brook Atkinson Theater NYC after 77 performances
- Jun 30 "Moon Over Buffalo" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 308 performances
- Jun 30 "State Fair" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 118 performances
- Jul 1 Placido Domingo becomes art director of Washington Opera
Music Single
Jul 8 British girls group the Spice Girls release their debut single "Wannabe" in the UK
Event of Interest
Aug 6 Punk rock band the Ramones perform for the last time at the Palace in Hollywood
Johnny Ramone
- Aug 11 "Thousand Clowns," closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 32 performances
- Aug 21 "Hughie" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC
- Sep 4 13th MTV Video Music Awards: Alanis Morrisett & Smashing Pumpkins win
- Sep 5 "Summer & Smoke" opens at Criterion Theater NYC
- Sep 7 Rap artist Tupac Shakur shot multiple times in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas, dies 6 days later
- Sep 8 "7 Guitars" closes at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
- Sep 8 Sri Lanka defeat Australia to win Singer World Series at Colombo
- Sep 19 "Skylight" opens at Royale Theater NYC
- Sep 29 "Delicate Balance" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC
Event of Interest
Sep 29 Alanis Morissette ends her 1st US tour (Houston Texas)
Alanis Morissette
- Oct 2 30th Country Music Association Award: Brooks & Dunn win
- Oct 10 "Sex & Longing" opens at Cort Theater NYC
- Oct 13 "Big" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 193 performances
- Oct 17 "Taking Sides" opens at Atkinson Theater NYC
- Oct 20 "Summer & Smoke" closes at Criterion Theater NYC
- Nov 2 "Hughie" closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC
- Nov 3 "It's a Slippery Slope" opens at Vivian Beaumont Theater NYC
Album Release
Nov 4 British girls group the Spice Girls release their debut album "Spice", goes on to sell 23 million copies
- Nov 7 "3 Sisters" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC
- Nov 13 "Three Sisters" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC
- Nov 14 "Chicago" opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC
- Nov 15 "Into the Whirlwind" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 2 performances
- Nov 16 "Into the Whirlwind" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 2 performances
- Nov 17 "Present Laughter" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
- Nov 19 "God Said, Ha!" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 22 performances
- Nov 19 "Sex & Longing" closes at Cort Theater NYC
- Nov 21 "Rehearsal" opens at Criterion Theater NYC
- Nov 24 "Juan Darien - A Carnival Mass" opens at Vivian Beaumont Theater NYC
- Dec 4 7th Billboard Music Awards: Alanis Morissette win
- Dec 5 "Dreams & Nightmares" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC
- Dec 8 "God Said, Ha!" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 22 performances
- Dec 19 "Once Upon a Matress" opens at Broadhurst NYC for 187 performances
- Dec 29 "Dreams & Nightmares" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC
- Dec 29 "Skylight" closes at Royale Theater NYC after
- Dec 29 "Taking Sides" closes at Atkinson Theater NYC