Celebrate West Side Fest from July 10–12 and enjoy free admission to museums, special programs for all ages, artmaking for kids and families, music performances, and more!
New York, NY, June 17, 2026 — The West Side Cultural Network—a group of museums, parks, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions located within a half-mile portion of historic New York—is delighted to announce programs and events for West Side Fest. Returning July 10–12, the fourth annual West Side Fest will offer three days of festivities, including free admission to select organizations, special indoor and outdoor programming, crafts for kids and families, artmaking activities for all ages, performances, and much more. Coinciding with the World Cup and America250 celebrations, 2026 promises to be the most exciting West Side Fest yet, with New Yorkers and visitors of all ages invited to celebrate the vibrant, cultural village along the waterfront of Manhattan’s West Side!
West Side Fest highlights the vibrant cultural destination on the western edge of Manhattan, a historic area with a welcoming and unique mix of fresh activities, open gathering spaces, and more. The neighborhood includes organizations that have been on the West Side for decades as well as newer arrivals like Gansevoort Peninsula in Hudson River Park. West Side Fest is conveniently accessible by subway, bus, the High Line, bike, or car. The official digital guide for West Side Fest 2026 will be available on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
Some of the West Side Fest highlights include:
- Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA) will offer special programs with Sojourners for Justice Press alongside Akinsanya Kambon: Soul Sessions, the first New York City survey exhibition of artist, educator, and organizer Akinsanya Kambon whose work explores Black resistance, cultural memory, and liberation.
- All weekend, Dia Chelsea will present David Lamelas: The Machine, a comprehensive survey exhibition of the Argentine artist’s work and his first major solo presentation in New York. Additional offerings include a parallel film program illustrating the breadth of David Lamelas’s moving-image practice from the mid-1970s to 2020s, a public tour of the exhibition, and a teen studio led by artist educator rebecca shapass.
- The FLAG Art Foundation will host a tour of Anoushka Mirchandani: Everyone You Love Lives Here, led by Deputy Director Caroline Cassidy, followed by a visitor postcard-writing activity inspired by the exhibition. There will also be a tour of UNTIL THE MOON COMES OVER THE MOUNTAIN led by Director Jonathan Rider. Visitors will learn about the curatorial process and the impact of the 1960s and ‘70s land art movement on contemporary environmental art.
- Offerings at the High Line include Tai Chi with Pin Pin Su, Zumba with Maria Assis, and a community art party featuring dancing on the High Line, a live DJ lineup with Saint James Joy, and art activities led by Infirnity and High Line Teaching Artists.
- Hill Art Foundation will present a live performance by Eli Keszler, a Grammy-nominated artist, composer, and percussionist based in New York. Keszler’s performance will take place surrounded by the Foundation’s exhibition N. Dash: Geophilia, and respond to the works on view. The Foundation will also host a teen program that takes participants on a scavenger hunt through N. Dash: Geophilia with a chance to win a prize. Teens will be able to experiment with different materials, slow down, and connect with peers.
- Hudson Guild will host the annual Community Art Jam, inviting artists of all ages to participate in hanging their own artwork in the gallery. Visitors can also explore RASA: A Collaboration, an exhibition featuring works by artists Vandana Jain and Mike Estabrook.
- Jazz on the Beach returns to Hudson River Park featuring a free, live beach-front concert by one of New York’s premier modern Latin bands. The event includes an all-levels dance class led by Talia Castro-Pozo, who joins from the Park’s Sunset Salsa series. Additional offerings include a special nature-inspired workshop at the Discovery Tank at Pier 57 and a program exploring Gansevoort Peninsula’s ecosystems.
- The Joyce Theater will stage performances of Pilobolus’s Trips, inviting audiences into a seamless journey through gravity-defying feats and emotional landscapes. Each piece flows into the next with explosive athleticism, physical poetry, and sly humor. Please note that this performance requires a ticket; tickets can be purchased online at joyce.org.
- Throughout the weekend, The Kitchen will host yoga classes in its spacious and sunny loft, helping participants tap into their creative mind and center wellness. The Kitchen will also offer a synth workshop led by artist and educator Amina Ross and a cyanotype printing workshop with Praise Fuller using natural materials and posters from The Kitchen’s archive.
- New York City AIDS Memorial will offer a special walking tour led by Executive Director Dave Harper exploring history and activism. This tour begins at the Memorial and its historic environs, at the epicenter of the epidemic, and leads to a visit to the exhibition Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS at Poster House.
- Poster House will have a range of artmaking activities for visitors of all ages, including a kid-friendly workshop where participants will create their own paper quilt squares. The panels will be joined together in a community quilt and then displayed in the museum all weekend. There will also be a tote bag screen printing program inspired by Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS and a poster designing workshop highlighting the historical context and design techniques behind the posters currently on view.
- Print Center New York will host a printing workshop with Andrew Raftery, artist and curator of the current exhibition New Voices: Design. The hands-on workshop explores printing with distemper, a material historically used in decorative arts such as wallpaper printing and scene painting.
- Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art will organize an artmaking program inspired by the mandalas in the Rubin’s collection. This activity invites participants of all ages to create a myriad of mandalas while reflecting on the spectrum of human emotions.
- The Shed will host a variety of public programs spanning art, performance, music, and more. Some activities include LIGHTSCAPE, a film-based exhibition following multiple characters and exploring a landscape in the midst of extreme change; a celebration of joy, connection, and collective power with music and dancing on the outdoor plaza with DJ collective Soul Summit; and an interactive clothing swap and mending workshop exploring alternatives to extractive fashion consumption.
- Westbeth Artists Housing will bring the vibrant spirit of its creative community to West Side Fest with a dynamic weekend of programming for all ages. Highlights include a performance by The Mizell, Sanwald, Brade (MSB) Trio who blend Americana jazz with rich chamber music; an art and craft and vintage market featuring wares from local neighborhood artists; and open studios throughout the weekend.
- White Columns will host a special set by interdisciplinary artist Karryl Eugene from his ongoing series Disobedient Tunes. Disobedient Tunes is a project wherein the artist approaches sound as a process of curation, retracing, and collage, often through long-form mixes composed of both selected and self-produced tracks.
- The Whitney Museum of American Art will provide free admission to all visitors during Free Friday Night on July 10 from 5–10 pm and all day on July 12 during Free Second Sunday. The Whitney will host an open studio for teens with Ignacio Gatica, a special poster making program with artist Rich Tu in collaboration with Poster House, a performance by Gabriela Ruiz as part of Whitney Biennial 2026, artmaking for all ages with Taína H. Cruz, and more!
Details about additional programs will be added to the official guide of West Side Fest on Bloomberg Connects as soon as they become available. More information about West Side Fest can be found at westsidefest.nyc. In case of inclement weather, please visit the website of the presenting organization for updated location and event details.
The West Side Cultural Network includes Art Start; Center for Art, Research and Alliances; CUE Art; Dia Chelsea; The FLAG Art Foundation; the High Line; Hill Art Foundation; Hudson Guild; Hudson River Park; Indie Space/West Village Rehearsal Co-Op; The Joyce Theater; The Kitchen; The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center; Little Island; New York City AIDS Memorial; Poster House; Print Center New York; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; The Shed; Westbeth Artists Housing; White Columns; Whitney Museum of American Art.
SUPPORT
West Side Fest is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors.
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor Bloomberg Connects.
Thank you to our Supporting Sponsors Chelsea Market and Pier 57.
Thank you to our Sponsors The Infatuation and the Meatpacking District Management Association.
PRESS CONTACT
For press materials and image requests, please contact:
Meghan Ferrucci Hannah Gompertz
Senior Publicist Director of Communications & Special Projects
Whitney Museum of American Art Dia Art Foundation
(212) 671-8346 (212) 293-5598
Meghan_Ferrucci@whitney.org hgompertz@diaart.org
Sam Riehl
Head of Communications
Center for Art, Research and Alliances
(410) 241-3937
Image credit: Photograph by Filip Wolak
