This summer, globalFEST takes over New York City with two back-to-back free events celebrating a vibrant array of international and American regional music: globalFEST x Summer for the City in collaboration with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and globalFEST x BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Both events are free to the public, full schedules are detailed below.

For 24 years, globalFEST has been a gateway — introducing New York audiences to the sounds, traditions, and stories that connect us across borders. Behind that legacy stand curators Shanta Thake, Bill Bragin, and Isabel Soffer, whose decades of advocacy have made music a bridge to a more open, empathetic understanding of the world. At a moment when borders feel like they’re closing rather than opening, globalFEST makes the case — loudly, joyfully — for artist mobility, cross-cultural solidarity, and the music that reminds us how much we share.

Of the summer ahead, Thake, Bragin, and Soffer say, “Having two free festival dates this summer with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Celebrate Brooklyn means we can bring global and regional American music to even more New Yorkers, across two of the city’s most beloved outdoor stages. These partnerships let us deepen our reach into communities on both sides of the river and share the joy of discovery that’s always been at the heart of what we do.”
 

AUGUST 1 @ JOSIE ROBERTSON PLAZA
SUMMER FOR THE CITY

On August 1st, gF returns to  Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City on The Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza  with an exquisite lineup that highlights the musical diversity of the African continent. 

The extraordinary singer Elida Almeida creates joyful music through the rhythms of her homeland, the West African island nation of Cape Verde.

Sudanese-American pop experimentalist Sinkane blends soul, prog rock, electronica, and funk with East African pop.

Saha Gnawa channels a North African futuristic vision where Moroccan Gnawa meets NYC jazz, groove, and cosmic dub.

AUGUST 7 @ LENA HORNE BANDSHELL
CELEBRATE BROOKLYN!

On August 7th, at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park, globalFEST teams up with BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at BRIC to draw on traditional and contemporary sounds from around the world. Of the partnership, Saidah Blount, BRIC Executive Director says, “We’re thrilled to host globalFEST on the Celebrate Brooklyn! stage for the first time. This lineup, DakhaBrakha from Ukraine, Yeison Landero from Colombia, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars from New Orleans, and Sunju Park from Korea, reflects the rich diversity and range of music tastes across Brooklyn and New York City. We’re proud to bring globalFEST home to Brooklyn.” The event will feature spectacular performances by:

Agents of “ethno chaos” DakhaBrakha (Ukraine), who use polyphony as its foundation, interweaving complex rhythmic and melodic structures from around the world.

Cumbia noble Yeison Landero (Colombia), Known as “el heredero de la cumbia” (the heir to cumbia), Landero delivers exhilarating, high-energy performances that fuse tradition with contemporary power.

Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars (New Orleans) bring their fresh take on retro New Orleans R&B dance hall music and Creole Jazz.

Sunju Park (Korea), recognized for pioneering a new genre of gayageum performance, reshaping the role of Korea’s iconic instrument within global contemporary art. 

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.

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 global and regional American music.

For over 20 years, the organization’s eponymous main winter festival – now 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. 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.