(September – November)

BAM – Next Wave Festival Information

Public Transportation: Very good (convenient to subway lines 2, 3, 4, 5, B, and Q at Atlantic Avenue; D, N, and R at Pacific Street; C at Lafayette Avenue; G at Fulton Street; and buses B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B54, B62, B67, and B103)
Handicapped Accessibility: Excellent. All BAM performances are accessible to those who use wheelchairs. Wheelchair locations in both theaters …more…

Each summer, an eclectic line-up of bands and artists hit Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield for the SummerStage free-concert series. Many of these are underground acts or cult faves in the jazz, soul, folk, alternative, and world-music genres. Big names do play the SummerStage as well, but they often perform in designated benefit concerts, which require a ticket purchase. ...more...

(February – March)

Ecstatic Music Festival Information

Public Transportation: Very good (easily accessible by subway lines 1, 2, and 3 at 72nd Street and buses M5, M7, M11, M57, M66, M72, and M104)
Handicapped Accessibility: Good
Performances/Programs:The festival hosts more than 150 composers, songwriters and performers who are redefining contemporary music. Performance schedule varies
Ticket Prices:Ticket prices vary.

(October – November)

EstroGenius Festival Information

Public Transportation: Excellent (easily accessible by subway lines A, B, C, D, E, F, and M at West 4th Street/Washington Square; 1 at Christopher Street/Sheridan Square; N and R at 8th Street/NYU; 6 at Astor Place; and buses M1, M2, M3, M5, and M8)
Handicapped Accessibility: Good
Performances/Programs: This annual celebration of female voices is a five-week event including short plays, solo shows, music, visual art, dance, teen …more…

(July 5 – August 5, 2012) Lincoln Center’s resident companies and artists dazzle audiences all year long, but during the Lincoln Center Festival, held every July, it is the best of the international theater community that goes on display. A collection of well-chosen productions offer the unexpected, some simple and exotic, others breathtaking in their artistry and enormity. Dramatic re-imaginings of Western classics, Mongolian songs, Iranian religious drama, and music from Bach to African pop have all been on the program. ...more...

An eclectic mix of contemporary classical and world music, dance, and theater, the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival is very much geared toward the adventurous arts lover. The festival also encompasses a Family Day, the International Body Music Festival, the annual Roots of American Music and Heritage Sunday, featuring Romani and Middle Eastern music.  All events are free.

Comprised of more than thirty one-off events, including several world premieres, Out …more…

In existence since 1997, this 16-day multi-arts festival presents over 1,000 performances featuring 5,000 artists at venues throughout Lower Manhattan. Like other Fringe festivals around the world, Fringe NYC highlights art that often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. A do-it-yourself aesthetic permeates what the festival calls “The Land that Grants Forgot.”

The festival also includes the family-oriented Fringe JR, FringeHIGH for teens, and the late-night Fringe CLUB, as well as the free …more…

This free Lower Manhattan Festival features many prominent figures on the contemporary arts scene, such as composer Philip Glass, performance artist Laurie Anderson, songwriters Patti Smith and Rufus Wainwright, jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, and art-rock band My Brightest Diamond. Other festival events include dance, poetry, and “real-world games” played on the city streets. River to River is also notable for its presentation of the Bang on a Can Marathon, a …more…

(May)

soloNOVA Arts Festival Information

Public Transportation: Very Good (a short walk from subway lines L at 1st Avenue; 6 at Astor Place; N and R at 8th Street/NYU; and buses M8, M14A, and M15)
Handicapped Accessibility: Good
Performances/Programs: This premier festival for solo performers features comedy, dance theatre, storytelling, music, theatrical mockumentary, puppetry, and multimedia. Performance schedule varies
Ticket Prices: Ticket prices vary.

(May) This annual May festival is dedicated to providing North American symphony and chamber orchestras with an environment conducive to crafting and exhibiting a strong, singular artistic vision. The range of featured composers is broad, from the respective Renaissance and Baroque works of Giovanni Gabrieli and J.S. Bach to the contemporary music of Donal Fox, Christopher Theofanidis, and John Adams.

Orchestras selected to perform at the festival have included the Dallas …more…

(February – March) The Tully Scope is a new late-winter festival (premiering in 2011), presenting a varied and eclectic cross-section of musicians, in one of New York’s best concert venues, Alice Tully Hall. The programming is not beholden to one genre or audience type: it includes more traditional classical concerts by the likes of pianist Emanuel Ax and early music master Jordi Savall as well as progressive contemporary music from …more…

White Light Festival Information

Other Venues: Jerome Robbins Theater at Baryshnikov Arts Center (450 W. 37th St.); Fourth Universalist Church (160 Central Park West); Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 W. 46th St.)
Public Transportation: Excellent
Handicapped Access: Yes