Village Trip festival brings ‘Revolutionary Voices’ to downtown Manhattan for 10 days
The eighth Village Trip runs Sept. 25 to Oct. 4 with concerts, poetry, walking tours and kids' programs in Greenwich Village, the East Village and the Lower East Side.
The Village Trip, a yearly downtown arts festival, returns for its eighth edition from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, with concerts, poetry, talks and walking tours across Greenwich Village, the East Village and the Lower East Side.
Liz Thompson launched the event in 2018 as a three-day program. It has grown since then, and some past editions stretched to 15 days. The organizers say the festival exists to uplift, entertain and celebrate the arts for New Yorkers, their families and people visiting the Village neighborhoods.
Village Trip 2026 theme and performances
This year’s programs run under the banner “Revolutionary Voices,” marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed. Among the figures getting attention are Thomas Paine and Dorothy Day, along with Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. The music ranges across jazz, rock and classical, and there is also a songwriting workshop.
An opening event on Thursday, Sept. 24, lets the public meet and talk with performers and organizers before the main schedule starts. The chamber group Poetica Musica will present We The People. Robert Snyder, a professor at Rutgers University, will guide a public reading of the Declaration and a conversation about it afterward. Vivan LeDay hosts Revolution, Darling!, a cabaret night that celebrates trans voices.
Walking tours and kids’ events in Greenwich Village
Guided walks run throughout the festival and cover American history and local culture. East Village Underground visits the neighborhood’s punk and jazz landmarks. Thomas Paine’s Greenwich Village follows the founding father’s life in the area. A third walk tours famous West Village music venues from the ’60s and ’70s.
Families have three programs to choose from. On Sept. 26, Elizabeth Irwin High School and the Little Red School House host an interactive show for children ages 2 to 5 built around Guthrie’s Songs to Grow On and his classic tunes. On Oct. 3, kids ages 6 to 12 can write a song of their own at the Who Are We? Songwriting Workshop, with Liz Queler and David Massingell, both songwriters, in charge. The children’s series ends with Ich Bin Ein New Yorker, a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Ode to Freedom plus selections from West Side Story.
Quick answers
When is the Village Trip festival in 2026?
The festival runs Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, with an opening event on Thursday, Sept. 24.
Where does the Village Trip take place?
Events are held in Greenwich Village, the East Village and the Lower East Side.
Are there Village Trip events for kids?
Yes. A Woody Guthrie show for ages 2 to 5 is on Sept. 26, a songwriting workshop for ages 6 to 12 is on Oct. 3, and a Leonard Bernstein program closes the series.
