Big Umbrella Festival Returns to Lincoln Center This Weekend

Photo: Lawrence Sumulong

The Big Umbrella Festival returns to Lincoln Center from April 3–20, 2025, inviting neurodiverse audiences of all ages to experience a vibrant and inclusive lineup of sensory-friendly events. With Free and Choose-What-You-Pay programming across music, theater, dance, comedy, and visual art, this year's expanded festival is a full-campus celebration of creativity and community.

Now in its fourth season, the festival is designed as a relaxed, welcoming environment for people with autism and other sensory or communication disorders All performances are interactive, intimate artistic experiences designed to meet audiences exactly as they are.

Festival Highlights Include:

Hamlet (April 19): Teatro La Plaza’s joyful, Spanish-language reimagining of Hamlet, performed by a cast of actors with Down syndrome—marking its New York premiere.

Los Trompos (April 4–6, 9–13, 16–20): Eight massive, colorful spinning tops transform Damrosch Park into a playground of movement and connection.

When the World Turns (April 4–6, 11–13): A U.S. premiere from Polyglot Theatre and Oily Cart—an immersive sensory world filled with light, sound, shadows, and wonder.

CMS Kids: Moving Music (April 5): A melodious intriduction to chamber music where audiences can explore rhythm, listening, and movement through sound.

The Sticky Dance for Sensory Groovers (April 11–13): An interactive dance performance from Second Hand Dance that turns sticky tape into a colorful, collaborative landscape.

Other offerings include a stand-up comedy night, E.P.I.C. Players' new season showcase, visual and creative activity stations, and the KultureCity Sensory Activation Vehicle, providing essential tools like fidget items, noise-canceling headphones, and mobile sensory rooms for anyone who needs them.

Attendees will also receive a commemorative poster featuring work by celebrated artist Marlon Mullen, whose MoMA solo exhibition runs through April 20.

For the full lineup and info, visit LincolnCenter.org/BigUmbrella.