Big Umbrella Festival Returns to Lincoln Center: Celebrating Neurodiverse Audiences and Artists
This April, Lincoln Center is bringing back the Big Umbrella Festival. Now in its seventh year, this inclusive festival offers three weekends of fun and engaging performances and installations that are specifically designed for neurodiverse audiences, including families, kids, and adults. The festival happens during Autism Acceptance Month, making it the perfect time to celebrate the neurodiverse community and how the arts bring us all together.
Launched in 2018, the Big Umbrella Festival was the first large-scale event of its kind focused on offering sensory-friendly and interactive artistic experiences for people with autism and other developmental disabilities. This year’s festival continues to break new ground with a wide variety of performances, hands-on activities, and outdoor installations that allow everyone to enjoy and participate in the arts in their own unique way.
Psst… Check Out 20 Places for Easter Bunny Photos in and Around New York 2025
This Year’s Highlights
One of the biggest highlights of this year’s festival is a performance of Hamlet by Peru’s Teatro La Plaza. This reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic play will be performed in Spanish by a cast of actors with Down syndrome, marking the Big Umbrella Festival’s first-ever Spanish-language performance.
Other highlights of the Big Umbrella Festival include Los Trompos outdoor installation and immersive theater from global artists like Polyglot Theatre (Australia) and Oily Cart (UK). When the World Turns, is an immersive experience from Polyglot Theatre (Australia) and Oily Cart (UK), where audiences will explore a magical world of light, sound, and foliage. There’s also The Sticky Dance for Sensory Groovers from Second Hand Dance (England), an interactive performance where audiences can engage with colorful sticky tape in a tactile and creative environment.
For families who enjoy outdoor activities, Los Trompos, an installation by Esrawe + Cadena (Mexico), will transform Damrosch Park into a large space where people can play with giant spinning tops.
The festival also features workshops and a collaboration with the ReelAbilities Film Festival and E.P.I.C. Players, who will showcase a sneak peek of their 2025 season, featuring neurodiverse talent in music, theater, and dance. For kids, CMS Kids: Moving Music will introduce them to the world of chamber music through interactive activities like movement and call-and-response games.
Relaxed and Welcoming Festival
As always, every event at the Big Umbrella Festival will be a relaxed performance, meaning the space is designed to be flexible and welcoming for individuals with autism, sensory sensitivities, and other learning differences. This allows attendees to move around, vocalize, or leave the performance area as needed, making it a stress-free and inclusive experience for all. There will also be chill-out spaces and visual art stations throughout the festival for anyone who needs a break.
Tickets for the festival are largely Choose-What-You-Pay, though some events are free. Tickets are available now, and waitlists are open for select sold-out performances.
All events are held along accessible routes and feature accessible entrances, restrooms, and seating. There will be easy-to-follow visual guides in both English and Spanish and venues that are fully accessible to people with varying needs. Guests are encouraged to engage with events at their own comfort level.
Whether you’re a parent looking for fun, inclusive activities for your kids or an adult seeking a unique way to experience the arts, the Big Umbrella Festival is a good time for everyone, and it runs from April 3 to 20. Attendees will receive a limited-edition print and commemorative poster as a souvenir of the festival!
For more information and to get tickets, visit LincolnCenter.org/BigUmbrella.
Psst… Check Out A Parent’s Guide to Exploring Moynihan Train Hall with Kids
