About This Show
Bringing together over 100 performing arts organizations, local and international celebrities, independent artists, poets, puppeteers, film makers and many others, The 12th Annual Lower East Side (LES) Festival of the Arts is New York City’s most diverse FREE 3-day festival. The indoor and outdoor festival – organized by Theater for the New City and a coalition of civic, cultural, and business leaders – was founded in 1996 to demonstrate the creative explosion of Manhattan’s Lower East Side and the area’s importance to the culture and tourism of New York City.
This year’s participants, representing the unique ethnic and cultural diversity of the Lower East Side, include an eclectic mix of talent, ranging from Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham and legendary talk show host Joe Franklin, to performance artists Reno and Penny Arcade, to writers Eduardo Machado and Mario Fratti, to folk singer Judy Gorman and Slivercloud Singers and Drummers, to theatre and dance companies such as The Living Theatre, Rod Rodgers Dance Company, Cave Gallery, Wendy Osserman Dance Company, Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, La MaMa ETC, New York Theatre Workshop, Joe’s Pub and many others.
Events take place within two theater spaces at Theater for the New City (155 1st Avenue, between E. 9th & 10th Streets) and along East 10th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues). For a complete lineup visit Theater for the New City.
