Celebrate Broadway for three days straight at the free Curtain Up Festival

New York City is obviously the place to be if you’re a theater lover. To celebrate all that Broadway has to offer, a beloved public festival is returning to Times Square.

Curtain Up Festival will be back for its third year starting Friday, September 8, and will culminate in “The Curtain Up! LIVE from Broadway” finale concert, starting at 11am in Duffy Square. The free outdoor concert will showcase Broadway’s marquee talent with performances from currently running Broadway musicals and plays. The show will also be aired live on WABC. 

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The festival will kick off on Friday afternoon with a 2pm Belt it Out on Broadway Dueling Pianos show between 45th and 46th Streets. Then, an official kickoff will bring a Broadway Block Party, Broadway sing-alongs, and an evening concert celebrating Chita Rivera (and yes, she will be in attendance).

Saturday morning brings a dance warm-up in Times Square with Ailey Extension, plus more sing-alongs, concerts and dueling pianos. Endless singing and dancing is promised. 

Participating stars and productions will be announced closer to the festival date, with outdoor events happening rain or shine. Participating shows for the weekend include & Juliet; A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical; Aladdin; Back to the Future The Musical; The Book of Mormon; Chicago; The Cottage; Hadestown; Harmony; How to Dance in Ohio; Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Kimberly Akimbo; The Lion King; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; The Shark Is Broken; Shucked; SIX; Some Like It Hot; Spamalot; and Wicked.

The Curtain Up Festival debuted in 2021, as a way to celebrate Broadway and its big bounceback following pandemic shutdowns. All events are free, unticketed and open to the public. A full schedule of events is online. 

“Last season, Broadway had a total attendance of 12.3 million indicating just how much live theatre means to so many and its pivotal role in NYC’s economic development," said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League.