River To River Festival

The River To River Festival, the nation's largest summer-long free arts festival, takes place each summer from June through September, in a variety of public venues that canvas all of Downtown New York - from Chambers Street down to the southern tip of Manhattan and across the island from river to river.

We aim to produce a world-class performing arts festival with a broad sweep of programming and free admission in order to enhance the vitality of cultural life in Lower Manhattan, to support its economic and social health, and to generate new audiences for the arts of our city. By removing barriers to the experience of live arts by free admission and by presentation at popular, mostly outdoor, public venues, we aspire to attract diverse audiences.

The Festival's partners, Alliance for Downtown NY, arts>World Financial Center, Battery Park City Authority, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Port Authority of NY & NJ, and South Street Seaport, founded the Festival following September 11, 2001 with the intention of using the arts as a tool for the revitalization of Lower Manhattan. Our effort, now in its 7th season, has not only assisted in renewal, but has transformed Downtown into a major cultural destination during the four months of summer.