West Side Fest 2026

A DJ is seen spinning on an outdoor plaza in front of a dancing crowd — West Side Fest at The Shed featuring Soul Summit, July 12, 2025. Photo: Filip Wolak. Courtesy West Side Cultural Network.

A young white woman is seen dancing with arms raised above her head. She is outside on a sunny summer day. She wears a white tank top and has brown hair that falls down her back. — Audience members at West Side Fest at The Shed featuring Soul Summit, July 12, 2025. Photo: Filip Wolak. Courtesy West Side Cultural Network.

About the Festival

Join The Shed and our neighbors in the West Side Cultural Network for the fourth annual West Side Fest, a weekend of free admission, special indoor and outdoor programming, art for all ages, performances, and more.

Celebrate the vibrant, cultural village along the waterfront of Manhattan’s west side at The Shed and the area’s other museums, parks, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions!

Friday, July 10
5 – 8 pm
The Shed’s outdoor Plaza

Kick off the weekend with DJ collective Soul Summit, special guest artists, and community resourcing organizations like New York Immigration Coalition, Project Open Arms, and more as we celebrate joy, connection, and collective power!

The Latinx Freedom exhibition on the Plaza will be open all weekend, but the party happens on Friday evening! Admission to this outdoor, public art installation is free.

Friday, July 10, 12 – 8 pm
Saturday, July 11, 12 – 8 pm
Sunday, July 12, 12 – 7 pm
The Darla Moore Gallery (Level 2)

Doug Aitken’s Lightscape is a film-based exhibition that follows multiple characters, exploring a landscape in the midst of extreme change. From vast deserts and desolate mountainscapes to futuristic robotics factories, it weaves interconnected stories from disparate worlds.

Tickets are Choose What You Pay, including a free ticket option.

Friday, July 10, 7:30 pm
Saturday, July 11, 2 pm and 7:30 pm
The Griffin Theater (Level 6)

Part of Open Call: Stages

Rooted in African diasporic storytelling traditions and the musical lineages of blues, jazz, and soul, Nehprii Amenii’s HUMAN is a mythic theatrical experience that blends puppetry, music, and movement to explore what it truly means to be human. Open to families and audiences of all ages.

Free tickets are available online. A limited number of day-of tickets will be available.

Sunday, July 12
1 – 2:30 pm (doors at 12:30 pm)
The Tisch Skylights (Level 8)
RSVP here

Fashion Is for Everybody is an interactive clothing swap and mending workshop exploring alternatives to extractive fashion consumption. Participants are invited to bring garments they value but no longer wear to exchange with others, while also learning basic repair techniques that extend the life of clothing. Led by artist Mel Corchado (Open Call alum, 2025) of Ita the Label (@itathelabel), the program blends collective learning, skill-sharing, and resource circulation.

Free admission, no ticket required.

Community Guidelines for the Clothing Swap:

Bring with intention. Please bring one to three garments or accessories you value—not just items you want to get rid of. Think: something you used to love, maybe it doesn’t fit anymore, or something you believe someone else will cherish.
Value is not about price. What you bring doesn’t have to be expensive, just meaningful.
Size inclusivity matters. Please consider bringing items across a range of sizes or styles that are adaptable, like oversized tees, scarves, hats, or bags.
No item? No problem. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if you don’t have something to bring. A small ticketing system will be in place to help balance circulation.

ABOUT THE WEST SIDE CULTURAL NETWORK

The West Side Cultural Network includes Art Start, CUE Art, Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA), Dia Chelsea, the High Line, Hill Art Foundation, Hudson Guild, Hudson River Park, Indie Space/West Village Rehearsal Co-Op, Little Island, NYC AIDS Memorial, Poster House, Print Center New York, Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, The FLAG Art Foundation, The Joyce Theater, The Kitchen, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, The Shed, Westbeth Artists Housing, White Columns, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Accessibility

The Shed’s Bloomberg Building and Plaza are wheelchair accessible. Earplugs will be available for attendees at the Friday, July 10 program with Soul Summit.

Please visit individual program pages for Doug Aitken: Lightscape and HUMAN by Nehprii Amenii for accessibility information specific to those productions.

For questions or other requests, visit the Accessibility page, email accessibility@theshed.org, or call (646) 455-3494.

Thank you to our partners

The Official Payment Partner of The Shed is

The creation of new work at The Shed is generously supported by the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund. Major support for live productions at The Shed is provided by the Charina Endowment Fund and the Shubert Foundation, with additional support from New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.