globalFEST returns to Lincoln Center for 23rd year
PRAISE FOR globalFEST
“A joyful and often raucous celebration of diversity and culture’s uncanny knack for slipping through borders...an inherent act of defiance against any attempt to cement hierarchies.”
“A head-spinning night of sounds from the world’s scattered neighborhoods...the night flips conventional expectations of a concert — a person goes not to recognize a favored song but, rather, to hear a noise that they did not know existed.”
“NYC revelers celebrated diversity at the annual cross-cultural bacchanal...artists from Palestine, Mexico, Ukraine, South Africa, Colombia, and Mozambique erased borders, at least for an evening.”
“One of the best genre-hopping nights of music each year.”
New York’s celebrated globalFEST is back for its 23rd year on Sunday, January 11, 2026 at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. This year’s festival is set to transform David Geffen Hall into a vibrant celebration of music, with acts from four continents, performing across three stages on one unforgettable evening. More information is available at LincolnCenter.org/globalFEST.
For over 20 years, the organization’s eponymous festival – now at its new home at Lincoln Center – has been the premier event introducing audiences and performing arts professionals to the world’s most exciting musical traditions and innovative sounds that are ready to tour across the country and around the world. At a time when it feels like borders are closing, globalFEST shines a light on the importance of artist mobility, cross cultural solidarity, and celebrating the diversity and commonality of the human spirit.
This year’s festival returns to Lincoln Center after annual sold-out winter editions, with a lineup curated by co-directors Bill Bragin, Isabel Soffer, and Shanta Thake, Lincoln Center’s Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer, plus guest curator Lia Camille Crockett.
The 2026 globalFEST lineup features:
A quote from Bragin, Soffer, and Thake: “globalFEST is about more than music. It’s about bringing diverse communities together for a celebration of creativity, resilience, and stories from around the world. At a time when connection across borders feels more important than ever, this year’s lineup reflects the joy and binding power of our distinct musical heritage and experiences. We can’t wait for audiences to take part in this full-theater takeover at David Geffen Hall, where every corner of the building will come alive with the sounds of the world.”
Since its founding in 2003, globalFEST has been a trailblazing organization highlighting international and regional American music, helping launch the U.S. touring careers of hundreds of artists like Angélique Kidjo, Antibalas, DakhaBrakha, Thandiswa Mazwai, Red Baraat, Bab L’Bluz, Meridian Brothers, and hundreds more. Created in response to the dark days between 9/11 and the start of the Iraq War, globalFEST is devoted to encouraging cultural awareness through musical discovery. Over its 23-year history, the festival has presented over 300 artists from more than 70 countries and nations and is recognized for bridging cultural divides while championing gender equity, LGBTQ+ voices, and advocacy for artists whose homelands face crises, natural disasters, and hardships.
Tickets for globalFEST 2026 are on sale NOW at LincolnCenter.org/globalFEST. To make the arts more accessible, tickets are available on a Choose-What-You-Pay basis. Visit the event page for more information.
ABOUT GLOBALFEST
globalFEST is one of the world’s most dynamic global music platforms, growing from an acclaimed festival/showcase into a catalytic non-profit service organization for curators, artists, and the performing arts field that moves international and regional American music into the center of the performing arts field. The programs have evolved to include the curation of notable stages and festivals, the creation and distribution of urgent grants, a partnership with NPR Music’s Tiny Desk series, the gF Awards, and Wavelengths, an industry-focused music conference. Through its work, the not-for-profit 501(3)C globalFEST (gF) encourages networking and cultural diplomacy; deepens cultural understanding among its constituents; builds audiences for international music and creates new opportunities for artists leading to a more robust and sustainable ecosystem for world music in the United States.
For more information, including lineup, event news, and updates, please visit globalfest.org and follow globalFEST on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
globalFEST is part of JanArtsNYC.org and its media partner, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Featuring a diverse array of world-class public performances and innovative industry gatherings, JanArtsNYC is the world’s most comprehensive platform for celebrating and experiencing the newest work by artists in theater, dance, opera, music, and performance.
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