Celebrating Neurodiversity with Inclusive Arts Experiences for All Ages

 

Featuring Performances and Activities Spanning Dance, Theater, Art,
Comedy, Music, and more from Artists Across the Globe

 

April 10 — 26, 2026
LincolnCenter.org/BigUmbrella

 

PHOTOS/VIDEOS AVAILABLE HERE

 

 

Photo credit (L-R): Andrew Perry/Barrowland Ballet; Creos/Mi Casa Your Casa 2.0; Cherylynn Tsushima/Chamber Music Society

 

New York, NY (February 3, 2026) - The Big Umbrella Festival returns to Lincoln Center this spring for a multi-week series of free and choose-what-you-pay performances, workshops, and outdoor installations designed with and for the neurodiverse community. From April 10-26, the festival invites audiences of all ages to experience the arts in welcoming, accessible ways with offerings across dance, music, theater, comedy, art installations, and more.

 

Launched in 2018, the Big Umbrella Festival was the first large-scale performing arts festival of its kind designed specifically with neurodivergent audiences at its center. From the beginning, the festival has championed innovative, sensory-based, and interactive arts experiences that meet audiences where they are.

 

The Big Umbrella Festival continues to grow in scale and scope each year, welcoming thousands of New Yorkers to Lincoln Center’s campus for a wide-ranging slate of performances and activities from artists around the world. Photos and videos from past festivals are available HERE.

 

“The arts are central to our individual and collective wellbeing, no matter your background or lived experiences. Creating welcoming, accessible pathways to the arts for all is central to our mission,” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “We want every audience member to feel seen and welcome at Lincoln Center, and the Big Umbrella Festival expands opportunities for everyone to experience the arts in ways that work best for them. Every year of this Festival, we have seen increased demand from across the New York area. We are deeply grateful to our audiences, as well as the artists and collaborators from around the world whose creativity and dedication help shape and elevate this work year-round.”

 

Tickets for Choose-What-You-Pay events go on sale to the public Thursday, February 5. Waitlists will be available for sold-out performances.

 

Learn more at LincolnCenter.org/BigUmbrella.

 

Highlights include:
 

 

To celebrate this year’s Big Umbrella Festival, a limited-edition benefit print and commemorative poster by Rayed Mohamed will be published by Lincoln Center Editions. Complimentary posters will be gifted to attendees while supplies last.

 

All events are Relaxed Performances, part of a campus-wide series providing a supportive social environment for individuals with autism, sensory and communication disorders, or learning disabilities. Attendees can enter and leave audience spaces as needed, vocalize, and move freely, creating a "no shushing" zone. Chill out spaces and visual art spaces are also available. For more information about Relaxed Performances, visit LincolnCenter.org/Relaxed.

 

Visual Guides in English and Spanish offer detailed directions, arrival instructions, and venue amenities with images. Additionally, all events are located on accessible routes with accessible entrances, restrooms, and seating.

 

Lincoln Center seeks to create a more inclusive experience for audiences by providing a range of accommodations—no request necessary. If you require any additional accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 212-875-5375.

 

Photos and videos are available for download HERE.

 

***

Big Umbrella Festival

April 10-26, 2026

April 10-26, 2026
Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0
Josie Robertson Plaza
All ages
FREE

Created by Esrawe + Cadena, Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0 is inspired by the mercados of Latin America, lively street markets where human connections are made every day. The interactive installation features a series of three-dimensional red frames illustrating the warmth and comfort of home. The small houses (casas) serve as a blank canvas for community engagement and playful socialization, while the swings inside invite passersby to relax and sway at their leisure. When a casa is empty, a welcoming white glow bids you to enter. Once inside, the glow intensifies to show that someone is home.

 

 

April 10-12, 2026 at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
April 17-19, 2026 at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
The Unexpected Gift
Barrowland Ballet
Clark Studio Theater
Ages 7+
Choose-What-You-Pay

Created especially for and with neurodivergent young people ages 6 and up, this whimsical world offers an intimate, accessible environment where guests are invited to explore, imagine, and connect through movement and play. Bursting with energy and acrobatic dance, The Unexpected Gift transforms ordinary objects into something extraordinary and magical—a multi-sensory wonderland built from the leftover boxes, ribbons, and wrapping paper of a celebration. This interactive performance, presented by the Glasgow-based dance-theater company Barrowland Ballet, invites playful exchange between performers and audience, allowing each child’s individuality and creativity to shine through.

 

Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Philharmonic Families: Winds
Kaplan Penthouse, Rose Building
Ages 3-5
Choose-What-You-Pay

Presented in collaboration with New York Philharmonic

Learn the tone colors of the wind family: flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon! Unlock children’s imagination and talent through this family-friendly concert. For ages 3-5.

April 17-19, 2026 at 12:30 pm, 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm
April 24-26, 2026 at 12:30 pm, 3:30 pm, and 5:30 pm
Antarctica! Crew Wanted
Rosán Sensory Adventures
Samuel Rehearsal Studio, Rose Building
Ages 6+
Choose-What-You-Pay

Created for young people ages 6 and up who are neurodivergent, Antarctica! Crew Wanted is a theatrical experience that guides participants through an immersive, sensory-filled world, depicting the icy land of Antarctica. An Irish production created by sensory artists Phillida Eves and Amélie Bal, this theatrical performance with music and movement is inspired by Ernest Shackleton’s epic Antarctic expedition of 1915, when his ship Endurance was trapped in the ice and ultimately sank. Join our crew as they set off on a unique adventure across ice and water, overcoming harsh conditions and unknown perils. It is a journey of survival, as teamwork, camaraderie, and friendship become much more important than reaching the final destination. The crew needs you!

 

April 17-19, 2026 from 10:00 am-6:00 pm
Visual Art Stations
Rose Building
All ages
FREE

On April 17-19, check out the Visual Art Stations led by Lincoln Center Education Teaching Artists in the Rose Building. There will be hands-on art-making and creative activities that are meant to spark engagement, collaboration, and inspiration—all in a fun, supportive setting.

Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Patterns
AXIS Dance Company
Alice Tully Hall
All ages
Choose-What-You-Pay

Led by Artistic Director Nadia Adame and Executive Director Danae Rees, AXIS Dance Company is one of the nation’s most acclaimed ensembles of disabled, non-disabled, D/deaf, and neurodiverse performers. AXIS was founded in 1987 and is based in Berkeley, California, where the company creates world-class productions that challenge perceptions and redefine dance and disability. With work by choreographers Nadia Adame, Sonya Delwaide, Christopher Unpezverde Nunez, Kayla Hamilton, and Natasha Adorlee, the performance will feature dancers JanpiStar, Julie Hasushi, Anna Gichan, Alaja Badalich, and Hannah Westbrook.

Audio Description will be available for all performances, providing live description for guests who are blind or have low vision through receivers and headsets

The performance on April 17 at 7:30 pm will include Live captioning available on personal devices by scanning a QR code.

The performances on April 17 at 7:30 pm and April 18 at 2:00 pm will include American Sign Language interpretation.

 

Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 11:00 am
ASL Baby Slam
David Rubenstein Atrium
FREE

Having just celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2025, ASL Slam joins the Big Umbrella Festival at the David Rubenstein Atrium this April. The company’s mission is to preserve, nurture, showcase, and promote American Sign Language and the Deaf/signing community through performance by offering a stage for community members to share and create traditional, contemporary, and experimental sign language literature. ASL Slam provides a safe space for the Sign Language community to play with their language(s). Geared toward families and young children, the ASL Baby Slam promotes playful language acquisition and connects families, artists, and children. All ages are welcome to this family-friendly showcase.

 

Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30 pm
ASL Slam
David Rubenstein Atrium
Ages 13+
FREE

Having just celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2025, ASL Slam joins the Big Umbrella Festival at the David Rubenstein Atrium this April. The company’s mission is to preserve, nurture, showcase, and promote American Sign Language and the Deaf/signing community through performance by offering a stage for community members to share and create traditional, contemporary, and experimental sign language literature. ASL Slam provides a safe space for the Sign Language community to play with their language(s).

 

Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 1:30 pm
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 4:30 pm
Box of Wonders Workshop
Kaplan Penthouse, Rose Building
All ages
Choose-What-You-Pay

Join Lincoln Center Teaching Artists for an interactive visual art and movement workshop — where participants can transform an ordinary box into a magical diorama. Using multisensory objects and art-making tools, you can create your very own space that represents the warmth and comfort of home.

 

Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 11:00 am (Recommended for ages 3–6)
Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 1:00 pm (Recommended for all ages)
CMS Kids: Tuneful Teamwork
Rose Studio, Rose Building
Choose-What-You-Pay

Presented in collaboration with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Join the Viano Quartet for a relaxed and welcoming CMS Kids concert all about making music together. You’ll learn how musicians listen, take turns, and support one another to create something beautiful as they perform lively pieces by Haydn, Grant Still, Beethoven, Borodin, Mendelssohn, and Bridge. Each piece shows a different way to lead, follow, and play as a team. The 11:00 am concert is designed especially for ages 3–6 and offers a gentle, interactive experience where children can move, respond, or listen quietly as they wish. The 1:00 pm concert is open to all ages and welcomes families and listeners of every experience level. Both performances are presented in a relaxed, judgment-free environment that supports all learning and sensory needs. Everyone is invited to experience the joy of chamber music up close and in their own way.

 

Friday, April 24, 2026 at 8:00 pm
ReelAbilities Comedy Night
Kaplan Penthouse, Rose Building
Ages 13+
Choose-What-You-Pay

Presented in collaboration with ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York

ReelAbilities Comedy Night returns to the Big Umbrella Festival. Join us for an unforgettable evening of bold, unfiltered humor, featuring an outstanding lineup of disabled comedians. This one-night-only comedy night is presented as part of the 18th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival, the largest festival in the world dedicated to showcasing groundbreaking films by and about people with disabilities. The annual week-long festival is renowned for its wide-ranging international film selection, riveting conversations, and performances—presented across NYC and online. The 18th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival takes place April 23–30. Additional information and tickets will be available here on March 26.

Live captioning is available on personal devices by scanning a QR code. 

This event will include American Sign Language interpretation.

 

***

 

About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) is a cultural and civic cornerstone of New York City. The primary advocate for the entire Lincoln Center campus, our strategic priorities include: fostering collaboration and deepening impact across the Lincoln Center resident organizations; championing inclusion and increasing the accessibility and reach of Lincoln Center’s work; and nurturing innovation on stage and off to help ensure the arts are at the center of civic life for all. LCPA presents hundreds of programs each year, offered primarily for free and choose-what-you-pay, including many specially designed for young audiences, families, and those with disabilities.

 

***

Lead support for educational programming is provided by Anonymous

Major support for the Big Umbrella Festival is provided by The Taft Foundation

Support for the Big Umbrella Festival is provided by Esme Usdan and James Snyder, New York City Council Member Gale Brewer, and by public funds facilitated by New York City Council’s Autism Awareness Initiative

Kids and Family programming is made possible in part, with public support facilitated by New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and members of the City Council

Major support is provided by The Lauder Foundation

Additional support is provided by Constans Culver Foundation and the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation

Major support for Lincoln Center accessibility programming is provided by The Taft Foundation, Kenneth Goldman Donor Fund, and The Megara Foundation

Accessibility at Lincoln Center is made possible in part by endowment support provided by AIG. Additional endowment support for Accessibility at Lincoln Center provided by Frederick P. Daniel and Elihu Rose – In Memory of Belle B. Rose

Lead support for Choose-What-You-Pay is provided by the Family of Robert Wood Johnson III

Major support is provided by the Scully Peretsman Foundation

Additional support is provided by the PNC Foundation

Contemporary Dance is made possible by the Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance - Lynne and Richard Pasculano, Founding Donors

NewYork-Presbyterian is the Official Hospital of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

United is the Preferred Airline of Lincoln Center Presents

Steinway & Sons is the Preferred Piano Partner of Lincoln Center

Lead support for Lincoln Center Presents is provided by the Ford Foundation

Major support is provided by The Shubert Foundation

Additional support is provided by Park Lane New York and Fairfield by Marriott Central Park

We are grateful to our Board of Directors for their leadership and generous support in making our work possible

Operation of Lincoln Center’s public plazas is supported in part with public funds provided by the City of New York

Programs are made possible, in part, with public funds provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor, Mayor of the City of New York, the New York State Legislature and the New York City Council

***

FOLLOW LINCOLN CENTER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 

Facebook: facebook.com/LincolnCenter 
X (Twitter): @LincolnCenter 
Instagram: @LincolnCenter 
TikTok: @LincolnCenter 
Threads: @LincolnCenter
#LincolnCenter  

### 

For more information, please contact:

Rosie Marinelli
[email protected]
212-671-4747