The Tribeca Festival, originally launched in 2002 in the months following the 9/11 terror attacks to help revitalize Lower Manhattan, has grown beyond its original purpose, and now stands as one of New York City's premier cultural events, showing world premiere films and hosting industry seminars, podcasts, live music and gaming demos. Marking its 25th anniversary, the 2026 festival opens Wednesday and runs through June 14, with a program that celebrates music, Broadway and New York stories.The festival lineup includes nearly 120 feature films (including 103 world premieres) and short film programs.
Films and events will be held at venues throughout the city. The festival's gala screenings (all world premieres) include the boisterous opening night feature "Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That's the Weight of the World)," the latest film by Questlove (who won an Oscar for "Summer of Soul"), about the legendary R&B/funk group and its founder, Maurice White (June 3, 4, 13). Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, who'd been away from the recording studio for several years, returns in an emotional fly-on-the-wall documentary in which she regroups with friends at a studio in upstate New York to record a new album, a collection of songs about loss, grief, love and hope, called "Sara Bareilles: Good Grief" (June 4, 5, 10, 14). Earth, Wind & Fire with The Roots, and Bareilles will perform live following the respective premieres.The festival's closing night film is "Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell's Kitchen," in which the native New Yorker recounts her musical journey from the streets ,of the West Side to the stages of Broadway (June 13, 14)."Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour - Live from Paris" (June 8, 10, 11) is a full-length concert film, while "Hadestown: The Musical" (June 8, 9, 12) is a recorded performance of the Tony Award-winning hit, featuring the original Broadway cast members (Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Amber Gray and...