Kaatsbaan Cultural Park announces Closing of 2026 Annual Festival

For three Saturdays in a row, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park presents the 2026 Annual Festival at 120 Broadway, Tivoli, NY 12583. The festival begins on August 29, 2026 and continues on September 5 and September 12. Each Saturday will feature a distinct lineup and focus.

The festival will conclude with a high-energy summer send-off. Large-ensemble dance performances by EVIDENCE and MasterZ at Work open the day, and Sadonna and the Slutinos give a farewell evening concert.

The 2026 Annual Festival also marks the return of Kaatsbaan’s outdoor Mountain and Meadow stages with expansive views of the Catskill Mountains and immersion in the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley. Most performances are an hour or less, are all ages, and the festival schedule permits an easeful and day-long schedule of art and nature alongside Tivoli’s walkable downtown amenities. Tickets will be offered on an incentive-based, affordable structure. Individual tickets and all-day passes available at https://kaatsbaan.org/performances-festivals.

Annual Festival | Saturday, September 12

1pm Mountain Stage (outdoors): Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Torch and Where the Light Shines Through. EVIDENCE presents Where the Light Shines Through and Torch, two choreographic works full of heart. Both are brilliant and triumphant expressions of freedom for our times, performed by Brown’s highly accomplished dancers. Their exacting movements exude grace and equal parts intensity and generosity. With dancing so infectious and soul-stirring, you will be swept up out of your seat throughout the entire show.

2:30pm Mountain Stage (outdoors): Courtney Balenciaga Washington and MasterZ at Work, ALL INCLUSIVE and The 24/7 Diner. The 24/7 Diner: precise, high-energy dancing that mirrors the bustle of a big city, all-night diner and the internal landscape of those who work and gather inside. Inspired by and set to Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner. ALL INCLUSIVE is informed by Courtney "Balenciaga" Washington's experience as a queer teenager who found refuge from teasing in dance. The work reflects how her gender transition spurred transformative emotional, creative, and physical liberation. Washington's choreography seamlessly pulls from house, hip hop, vogue, and street with tight, continuously evolving formations that serve to amplify each dancer’s individual style, personality, and charm. MasterZ at Work is a dance collective of vibrant performers from different dance backgrounds, creating dances that represent resilience and foster community in under-resourced areas of Brooklyn. 

6pm Mountain Stage (outdoors): Sadonna. Concert. Sadonna (Miguel Gutierrez) and the Slutinos (John Maria Gutierrez, Alvaro Gonzalez, and Santiago Venegas) provide the bow at the end of the festival, the cherry on top of a full season. Fans of Madonna’s sensational pop hits will recognize the messages of strength and resilience in Sadonna’s slower, bluer renditions. Though comfortingly familiar, the now sad songs rightly reveal the raw vulnerability and beating heart behind these classic hits as we sing farewell to summer.

7:15pm Firepits outside Studio Complex: Interfaith Fire Lighting

Join local spiritual leaders in closing out the festival with artists, staff, and community partners.

The more events you attend, the deeper the discounts.

- One performance ticket is $25 ($15 for students)

- All-day passes:

- A two-performance ticket bundle is $40 ($25 for students)

- A three-performance ticket bundle is $50 ($30 for students) *only available 8/29*

- Add a concert ticket to your bundle and receive a $10 discount

- Concerts are individually priced.

About Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

The mission of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence by providing artists at any stage of their careers with creative residencies at state-of-the-art facilities, and presenting audiences and communities with annual festivals, educational programs, and events. As both an incubator for creativity and presenter for world-class artists in dance, theater, music, film, spoken and written word, and culinary and visual arts, Kaatsbaan provides artists with state-of-the-art dance studios, accommodations, an indoor theater, and outdoor stages. Sited on 153 Hudson River-adjacent acres, Kaatsbaan is free of urban facilities’ space and time constraints, allowing for exciting levels of artistic exploration, creative action, and achievement—just two hours north of New York City.

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