Down to Earth Festival 2025

Participatory, magnetic, unlike anything—in theaters, parks or on the streets. Down to Earth is coming to your community.

Down to Earth brings world-class international multidisciplinary performances, dance, theatre, in-situ events and contemporary circus—absolutely free—directly to New York City's vibrant, diverse communities. An initiative that democratizes cultural expression, the inaugural festival is initiated by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center CUNY which serves as the festival's producer, underwriter and fiscal agent.

The 2025 Festival features seven international productions, workshops, interactive events, ten presentations of PRELUDE—a festival-within-a-festival, focusing on artists at the forefront of contemporary New York City theatre, dance, interdisciplinary and mediatized performance—and two symposia that explore themes of migration, diversity, social justice, theatre as a tool of resistance, intergenerational alliance, climate change and our imperiled democracy. Performances will be held across various New York City parks and public spaces.