The COVID-19 pandemic has not only put a halt to travel, but also to live performances. Now, after a prolonged coronavirus shutdown, plans are in place to safely bring back live performances again. All efforts will be made to ensure a new, pop-up festival will strictly adhere to the Department of Health COVID-19 protocols.
Celebrities To Take Part In A New Arts Recovery Initiative
A number of high-profile celebrities, including Patti Smith, Idina Menzel, Sarah Jessica Parker and Billy Porter will be among the performers taking part in a new arts recovery initiative in New York.
Dubbed the NY PopsUp festival, the initiative will launch hundreds of free pop-up concerts, comedy and theatrical performances and recitals at venues across New York State. The new pop-up festival is to serve as a pilot program which aims to bring live performance back safely after the long and grinding COVID-19 shutdown.
Let’s face it, people have been feeling down now for almost a year. The new festival is set to revitalize the spirit and emotional well-being of the residents of New York State, via the energy of live performance. At the same time, the festival will jumpstart the state’s struggling live entertainment sector. Meanwhile, public health officials in the state will ensure that the festival adheres to all Department of Health COVID-19 protocols.
About The NY PopsUp Festival
Interdisciplinary artist Zack Winokur will be leading the festival programming. He will be joined by artistic advisors who represent the diversity of New York’s dynamic performing arts scene and artistic communities.
While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic still makes mass gatherings and large events impossible, the new events are to be staged across all types of districts and neighborhoods in all five boroughs of New York City.
They will also be held throughout Upstate New York, Long Island and all other regions of the state.
As for the festival stage, NY PopsUp festival will use existing landscapes in New York. These will include subway platforms, transit stations, parks, skate parks, museums, street corners, parking lots, fire escapes and store fronts.
This new way of doing live entertainment will transform everyday commutes and local communities and places never normally used for performances. Meanwhile, instead of huge crowds of audience members at a few events, the festival’s many events will play to a small group of audience members.
Who Will Play and When?
Besides Patti Smith, Idina Menzel, Sarah Jessica Parker and Billy Porter, a number of other big name artists have been confirmed. These include Amy Schumer, Hugh Jackman, Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin, John Early, Matthew Broderick, Mandy Patikin, Kate Berlant, Phoebe Robinson, Jonathan Groff and more.
The NY PopsUp Festival is set to launch on February 20 and will run through Labor Day. Meanwhile, the Festival at Little Island at Pier 55 and the 20th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival will serve as the festival’s apexes.
Find out more about the festival on the official website here. It will be fun to time visits to New York State with one or more of the pop-up events.