Chris Thile, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Rhiannon Giddens, Jeremy Denk, Mandy Patinkin, Gaby Moreno, and Nico Muhly are among the many artists who will take part in NY PopsUp, a months-long festival that will feature hundreds of pop-up performances—many of which are free of charge and all open to the public—throughout New York City and State. Additionally, Thile and Salvant are on a council of artistic advisors partnering with curator Zack Winokur to program the series. NYPopsUp, which will launch on Saturday, February 20, and run through Labor Day, aims to revitalize the spirit and emotional well-being of New Yorkers with the energy of live performance, while jump-starting the struggling live entertainment sector. The festival is being coordinated with state public health officials and will strictly adhere to Department of Health COVID-19 protocols.

The events produced by NY PopsUp, in addition to being free of charge, will be staged across every type of neighborhood and district in all five boroughs of New York City and throughout the state. While COVID-19 makes mass gatherings and large, destination-style events impossible, NY PopsUp will meet New York City and State residents where they are. The hundreds of free, pop-up events that constitute NY PopsUp will make stages out of New York’s existing landscapes, including iconic transit stations, parks, subway platforms, museums, skate parks, street corners, fire escapes, parking lots, storefronts, and upstate venues.

As COVID restrictions begin to loosen, this will pave the way for the reopening of multidisciplinary flexible venues ("flex venues") throughout New York State to open and participate in the Festival. These will be the first indoor performances since the pandemic began, a major moment in New York’s recovery efforts. They will be a key step in the long process of getting tens-of-thousands of arts professionals around New York State back to work, and a bridge to getting Broadway and all of the New York cultural world open. These flex venues are established performance spaces without fixed seating and are thus able to be adapted for social distancing, such as The SHED, The Apollo, Harlem Stage, La MaMa, and The Glimmerglass Festival’s Alice Busch Opera Theater. All indoor events will strictly follow Department of Health public health and safety guidance.

NY PopsUp will also incorporate the twentieth anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival (June 9–20) and the June opening of Little Island, a new public park on the Hudson River. Little Island will host its own festival, The Festival at Little Island, in conjunction with the final weeks of NY PopsUp (August 11–September 5).

Given the impromptu nature of the pop-up format, not all performances will be announced in advance. Among the first are an Opening Day tribute concert to healthcare workers on February 20, from the Javits Center, featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jon Batiste, and others. Throughout the day, the performers will travel around New York City, meeting audiences at various locations in all five boroughs, including courtyards, workplaces, parks, and street corners.

Also on tap is a live series hosted by Chris Thile, performed on stoops all over New York, from Brooklyn and the East Village to the steps of Albany’s Empire State Plaza across from the Capitol building.

NY PopsUp, the Tribeca Film Festival, and The Festival at Little Island will together bring a total of more than 1,000 performances to New York State between February 20 and Labor Day. For more details as they become available, follow along on social media via nypopsup.com.