The 15th annual River to River Festival, Lower Manhattan’s annual, free summer arts celebration, began yesterday and will continue through Sunday, June 26. The 11 days of live dance, music, theater and visual arts will present more than 80 separate performances and events, spread across dozens of Lower Manhattan venues, to a total audience of more than 70,000 spectators.
“A festival of this nature is the most perfect way to connect with people around you, be present and in-the-moment, and celebrate New York as the most vibrant, energetic city,” says Andrew D. Hamingson, president of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), which is organizing the festival, in partnership with more than 20 partners. “By bringing contemporary, live and visual art to Governors Island, Fulton Center, South Street Seaport, 28 Liberty Plaza, the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, and Federal Hall, to name a few of this year’s sites, we are hoping to inspire those who live, work, learn, and play downtown and introduce them to critical voices of our time.
Mr. Hamingson, who joined the LMCC earlier this year, said that he is, “particularly thrilled that we will be activating the recently completed Oculus at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub several times throughout the festival.” Other venues include the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, the Fulton Transit Center, Poets House, Federal Hall, the South Street Seaport, and Governors Island. For a complete calendar of events, please browse: www.RiverToRiverNYC.com
Also, on Tuesday (June 21), as part of the 2016 River to River Festival, more than a dozen Lower Manhattan museums, cultural institutions, and historic landmarks will open their doors, free of charge, on Tuesday, June 21, for Night at the Museums. Participating venues include the National September 11 Memorial Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, the China Institute, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Museum of American Finance, the Fraunces Tavern Museum, the Anne Frank Center, Poets House, the Skyscraper Museum, and the Smithsonian’s Nation Museum of the American Indian. For details, please browse: www.NightAtTheMuseums.org.