Little Island In The West Village Announces 2 Upcoming Festivals

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Little Island, the new $260 million public park that opened at the end of May at 13th Street in Hudson River Park, announced Tuesday its line-up for the 2021 festivals it will host in the coming months.

The "Storytelling Festival" will run from July 21 through 25 within the West Village park and feature singer-songwriters, musicians, poets, and other artists presenting the craft of storytelling in various art forms.

The festival will be curated by the Little Island Artists-in-Residence Pigpen Theatre Co., and you can find the full schedule and list of participating artists — here.

"The Storytelling Festival is a true culmination of our past decade's journey and community building,” said PigPen Theatre Co., Artist-in-Residence, in a news release. “We’ve had the good fortune of learning much and meeting many during our years performing at school festivals, music festivals, and theatre festivals. To build our own festival, a celebration of Storytelling in its many forms, with a partner as unique and wonderful as Little Island, is a dream come true.”

The "Dance Festival" will take place on Little Island from September 15 through 19, and is curated by another artist in residence, Ayodele Casel, along with co-curator Torya Beard.

The festival will feature tap dance artists, classical and contemporary Indian dance, African drumming, and more in a variety of performances. The Dance Festival will also align with and celebrate National Dance Day on Sept. 18.

"We are overjoyed to have the opportunity to curate a festival centering percussive dance artists whose work is deeply rooted in unabashed cultural expression,” said Ayodele Casel, Artist-in-Residence, and Torya Beard, Dance Festival Co-curator, in a news release. “We eagerly anticipate spending the week at Little Island celebrating dance, music, and the joy of being in community with each other and audiences in person again.”

You can find out the full lineup and schedule for the Dance Festival — here.

The majority of both festival's programming can be experienced for free, but several events hosted in The Amph will be ticketed. You can purchase those tickets on the Little Island website.

Read More: See It: Little Island Park Opens Next To Hudson River