Fun Freetime: LES Festival of the Arts (NYC)

THE LOWER EAST SIDE (LES) FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS – one of the most exciting, eclectic and FREE annual festivals in all of New York City – will present a special afternoon of fun for the whole family on Saturday, May 24. The Theater for the New City will sponsor the festivities, which coincide with its 19^th annual LES Festival scheduled for May 23-25. 

Presented annually by TNC – and led by Festival founder Crystal Field – LES is a multi-cultural, multi-generational cavalcade of FREE, FREE, FREE performances of music, dance, theater, film, comedy, aerial acts and entertainment for the whole family for three days over Memorial Day Weekend.  

Performances take place on the various stages throughout Theater for the New City, along with the YOUTH PROGRAM outside the theater on E. 10^th Street on Saturday, May 24 from 2 pm until 5 pm.  

Among the many acts scheduled to perform at the Saturday afternoon youth event are juggler and plate-spinner extraordinaire John Grimaldi of the NY Lyric Circus, performances by the Rod Rodgers Dance Company and Cobu – a dance troupe known for its combination of traditional Japanese Taiko drumming with rhythmic tap dancing, a petting zoo presented by Jocelyn Perez, and a crafts booth where youngsters can learn how to make Japanese cranes and other animals out of paper.

Bringing audiences together with scores of poets, musicians, performance artists, comediennes, and playwrights, THE LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS serve as a tribute to the men and women who have lived and created art on the Lower East Side of New York City throughout its history, and continue to do so today, many struggling to stay afloat in the neighborhood amidst the rising cost of living there.

THE 19^TH ANNUAL LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS runs in and around the Theater for the New City (155 1^st Ave between 9^th and 10^th) throughout Memorial Day weekend.

SCHEDULE:

Friday, May 23 – Performances from 6 pm to 1 am

Saturday, May 24 – Outdoor Festival noon to 5 pm
                              Film Program noon to midnight
                                 Youth Program 2 to 5 pm

Sunday, May 25 –  Performances 6 pm to midnight
                                Poetry readings 4 to 7 pm
All events are FREE and open to the public. For additional information and a full performance schedule, please call Theater for the New City at (212) 254-1109 or visit www.theaterforthenewcity.net.