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Festivals

Current Grantees Past Grantees

The Levitt Foundation supports free outdoor music festivals that expand access to the arts, celebrate community, and create positive social impact.

 

Scroll down to explore the festivals supported by the Levitt Foundation.

Active Streets: Corazón del Valle

El Monte, California

Marking the city of El Monte’s first open streets event in six years, Active Streets: Corazón del Valle transforms a 5-mile stretch of roadway in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley into a vibrant, car-free space for walking, jogging, skating, biking, and more, promoting active lifestyles and community connections. The event features three activity hubs accessible to Los Angeles County residents, offering live music and cultural programming that celebrates the vibrant musical heritage of one of the most diverse regions in the United States.

Photo courtesy of Anchorage Downtown Partnership Ltd.

Anchorage Music Week

Anchorage, Alaska

A collaboration between Alaska Creative Economies, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, and Visit Anchorage, Anchorage Music Week redefines how people experience winter in Alaska through one week of free, public events that culminate in the Dark Daze Music Fest—an all-ages alternative music and arts festival known for lighting up the downtown area during the darkest days of the year. The Levitt Foundation is funding a free one-day, open-air event to kick off Dark Daze.

BAMS Fest

Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Festival, which takes place annually in Franklin Park, is a cultural movement led by diverse artists, culture makers, and creative entrepreneurs from Greater Boston that aims to break down barriers and create access to arts, music, and culture. The free festival features nationally acclaimed artists and local talent and activates Boston’s largest park with community-building activities, educational programming, visual art exhibitions, local vendors and artisans, and more.

Bedford Centerfest

Bedford, Virginia

Bedford Centerfest is the third largest open air street festival in Virginia, attracting visitors from across the state for a day of music, shopping, and entertainment that highlights local craftspeople and artisans and invests back into the local economy while providing fun activities and events for people of all ages. This year, the festival celebrates over four decades in downtown Bedford—growing from 20 vendors to nearly 200 in 2025—and features free outdoor concerts throughout the day on its Farmers Market stage.

Celebrate AMERI’KANA Music & Arts Festival

Kansas City, Missouri

Celebrate AMERI’KANA Music & Arts Festival is an annual event taking place in Kansas City, Missouri each summer—a collaborative project between the GRAMMY-nominated band Making Movies and their nonprofit, Art As Mentorship, which explores the deeply-rooted Latin music influences on American music, past and present. By showcasing and celebrating the multiple origins of American music, this free, all-ages festival that spotlights the contributions diverse communities have made to our country’s communal story.

Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival

Princeton, West Virginia

Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival, presented by RiffRaff Arts Collective, features Appalachian music and art alongside cultures of the world. Culturefest is a melting pot of craft, creativity, and perspectives and promotes unity and respect for diversity in Southern West Virginia. The 2025 festival features three stages of music and dance performances from local, regional, national and international touring acts, workshops, facilitated discussions, artisan vendors, a kids village, community art projects, healing arts, and more in the vibrant Mercer Street Grassroots District of Princeton, West Virginia.

Fenway Porchfest

Boston, Massachusetts

Fenway Porchfest is an annual music festival started in 2018 that platforms the artists and performers who live, work, and study in Boston’s historic Fenway neighborhood, a vibrant mixed-use cultural and residential district with ample resources that are nevertheless often inaccessible to its low- and middle-income residents. Taking place across 15 sites, including the Museum of Fine Arts and Verb Hotel, Fenway Porchfest addresses this gap by bringing free music and arts experiences to the local community.

Photo by David Rodriguez

Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture

San Pedro, California

Started in 1992, the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) is a vibrant community celebration showcasing the rich tapestry of Filipino arts and culture in Los Angeles County through traditional music and dance as well as contemporary expressions of visual arts and performance. Taking place in San Pedro’s Point Fermin Park, FPAC 2025 uplifts the rich cultural history of the Philippines while shining a light on the next generation of Filipino artists.

Fiesta Hispana

Wichita, Kansas

Fiesta Hispana, held at Kansas’ premier science center, Exploration Place, in Wichita, Kansas, is an annual event celebrating Hispanic culture, heritage, and traditions. The festival draws audiences eager to enjoy live music, authentic Latin American food, folklórico dance performances, interactive exhibits, and more—fostering community pride and cultural appreciation amongst attendees of all backgrounds.

First Fridays Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas

The First Friday Festival Series is Corpus Christi’s monthly celebration of music, culture, and community, designed to elevate local artists while attracting major touring acts to this Texas community along the coast. Presented by Raps & Apps, the festival series enhances the city’s beloved First Friday Art Walk through performances by local and regional musicians, spoken word performances, and interactive workshops supporting developing artists.

Home Rule Music Festival

Washington, D.C.

Presented by The Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation, Home Rule Music Festival is a multi-day celebration of the rich tapestry of music and culture unique to Washington D.C. The festival champions education, performance, and community by offering world-class jazz and go-go music performances alongside job skills training for youth, made possible through unique partnerships with local organizations, government agencies, businesses, and individuals.

Photo by Kevin Raquidan

Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair & Parade

San Diego, California

The Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair & Parade creates a welcoming space for families, students, business owners, and residents to connect and celebrate the unique and diverse heritage of San Diego’s Linda Vista community, known for its vibrant Latino and Asian communities. This cherished annual festival is a local tradition featuring live music, dance performances, culinary delights, artisan vendors, educational exhibits, and a parade.

Los Angeles Korean Festival

Los Angeles, California

Established in 1974, the Los Angeles Korean Festival strengthens cultural pride among Korean Americans while offering people of all backgrounds an inclusive space to experience Korean traditions, food, music, and art in the heart of Koreatown. The festival’s dynamic programming—including traditional and contemporary performances, culinary showcases, and business expos, in addition to its flagship, mile-long parade—makes the LA Korean Festival one of the most highly-attended cultural events in the city.

Photo by Lynn Donovan.

National Folk Festival

Jackson, Mississippi

Started in 1934 and heralded as the nation’s longest-running traditional arts event, the National Folk Festival uplifts the artistic traditions of all Americans through a three-day, outdoor celebration of multicultural music, dance, craft, storytelling, food, and more. For the first time in the festival’s long history, this year’s location is Jackson—the heart of the state often considered to be the birthplace of American music—and is set to draw upwards of 150,000 attendees.

Pikesville Inflatables Sculpture Festival

Pikesville, Maryland

The inaugural Pikesville Inflatables Sculpture Festival activates the Pikesville Armory’s arts campus through a weeks-long exhibition of larger-than-life inflatable artworks and free community activities. Bringing free, family-friendly music and cultural events to the northwest corridor of Baltimore, the festival is part of Pikesville Armory’s ongoing project to transform its 14-acre campus into an arts-infused, intergenerational, and multidisciplinary community space.

Salem Jazz and Soul Festival

Salem, Massachusetts

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, held annually at the historic 35-acre Salem Willows, convenes people from all walks of life to share the joy of live, open-air music and provides opportunities for children and adults to learn about music, make crafts, and attend workshops. In addition to offering free concerts, the festival has routed nearly $75K in proceeds to music education programming for arts-underserved youth enrolled in local schools, jazz camps, boys & girls clubs, and more across Massachusetts’ North Shore.

Selby Avenue JazzFest

St. Paul, Minnesota

The Selby Avenue JazzFest is an annual celebration held in the heart of St. Paul on historic Selby Avenue. Known for its vibrant atmosphere, the festival showcases a mix of local and national jazz artists, creating an immersive experience for music enthusiasts of all ages. Fostering a sense of community and appreciation for the arts since its inception in 2002, the event attracts thousands of attendees who gather to enjoy a day filled with music, culture, and camaraderie. Presented by local music school Walker|West, one of the oldest community music schools in the nation founded by African American musicians.

Spelmansståmman

Scandia, Minnesota

Presented by the Gammelgården Museum of Scandia, Spelmansståmman is a cross-cultural festival that celebrates the diverse heritage of the small, rural Minnesota town of Scandia, home to the state’s first Swedish immigrant settlers. In 2025, the festival honors Swedish and Mexican folk music, dance, visual arts, and food traditions—celebrating their distinct and shared histories and identities represented, and complementing past festivals that have honored Native American and Hmong communities.

SummerStage in Staten Island

New York, New York

City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor performing arts festival, brings 85 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 12 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs of New York City. For more than 38 years, the festival has showcased established and emerging artists from across the globe, featuring a multitude of genres including jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, salsa, reggae, Afrobeats, soul, pop, global, and contemporary dance. The Levitt Foundation is funding outreach and community visioning activities that support the development, curation, and outreach of these SummerStage concerts in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island.

Photo by Amal Bisharat.

Summer Uke-splosion! at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

San Francisco, California

Started in 2013, Uke-splosion! is a beloved San Francisco tradition that welcomes hundreds of people of all ages and their ukuleles (“the people’s instrument”) to Yerba Buena Gardens for an afternoon of music and dance. The festival hosts the region’s foremost ukulele talent for performances, a community strum-and-sing-along, and hula performances honoring Northern California’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community and reaffirming the gardens as a welcoming space for all.

Tunica Rivergate Festival

Tunica, Mississippi

Each year, the small town of Tunica—home to just a thousand residents—welcomes over three thousand visitors to downtown Mural Park Stage for Tunica Rivergate Festival, a free, three-day community event celebrating the food and music of the Mississippi Delta. The 2025 festival features 12 musical acts performing across two stages, in addition to dozens of art vendors, food trucks, a barbeque cook-off, and thousands of pounds of crawfish.

World Village Festival

Boise, Idaho

World Village Festival is a two-day celebration of Boise, Idaho’s diverse communities, bringing global music, art, dance, and folklife to Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP), a multipurpose community gathering space that greets visitors with a three-acre public park. Hosted by the nonprofit Global Lounge, the festival envisions a more inclusive and culturally vibrant Boise, where music and cultural expression build enduring connections between longtime Idahoans and the city’s growing immigrant and refugee communities.

Young People’s Chorus of New York City and the Classic Theatre of Harlem

New York, New York

The Young People’s Chorus (YPC) of New York City joins the Classic Theatre of Harlem this summer for a free public concert and stage production at Marcus Garvey Park, a 20-acre public park nestled between the Harlem and East Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan. The collaboration showcases the combined power of music and theatre and features diverse young performers from all five boroughs, uplifting youth expression and the importance of opportunity for participation in the arts.

Past Festival Grantees

Arts for EveryBody

United States

Arts for EveryBody was a nationwide campaign in 2024 that brought free outdoor concerts, festivals, dance, and other artmaking activities to 18 sites in towns and cities across the country, showcasing the profound health benefits of arts engagement through community-specific events​. By bringing together local artists, healthcare providers, and municipal leaders, the initiative emphasized the role of the arts in fostering social cohesion and improving both mental and physical health​.

Higher Purpose Fest

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Higher Purpose Fest was a free day-long community festival in 2024 that featured music, food and wellness activities in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the birthplace of the blues. The Fest was presented by Higher Purpose, a nonprofit with a mission to foster community, open dialogue, and build community wealth among residents in the Mississippi Delta by supporting financial empowerment and cultural pride.

Inclusion Zone at Musikfest

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Designed to accommodate all ages and abilities, the Inclusion Zone at Musikfest took place throughout the duration of the 2024 music festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Presented by Accessible Festivals / Inclusion for Everybody, the Inclusion Zone included sensory-friendly and empowering live music from neurodivergent and disabled performing artists, immersive experiences, a sensory supportive listening lounge, and a series of educational and recreational workshops.

Juneteenth UNITYFEST

Brooklyn, New York

The Juneteenth UNITYFEST in 2022 and 2023 was presented by the Robert Randolph Foundation, a nonprofit organization bringing together diverse voices in commemoration and celebration of Juneteenth and Black culture, both significant contributors to the vibrancy of American history and culture. Broadcast live around the world from Brooklyn, UNITYFEST featured multiple entertainment, arts education, and community activism events, including a Juneteenth UNITYFEST Concert, co-presented with BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park.

Photo: Edwina Hay

Sound Mind Live Music Festival for Mental Health

Brooklyn, New York

The Sound Mind Live Music Festival for Mental Health is a community festival in Brooklyn that leverages live music as a source for healing and mental health. In addition to live performances, discussions, and workshops, Sound Mind Live is a vibrant community effort and collective movement toward fostering mental health awareness and support. The festival brings together a coalition of partner organizations, music and visual artists, and panelists and speakers who elevate important mental health messaging and resources.  

SuperFolk! Festival

Tacoma, Washington

The 2024 SuperFolk! Festival was presented by Whippoorwill Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and uplifting roots musicians by providing opportunities for creative collaboration for social impact and fair wages within the music industry. SuperFolk! brought free concerts to people who often do not have access to live music,  including elementary students at underserved public schools and seniors and families at an affordable housing service agency —fostering joy, community, and the opportunity to interact with the artists.

  • About Levitt

    The Levitt Foundation exists to strengthen the social fabric of America. We partner with communities to activate underused outdoor spaces, creating welcoming, inclusive destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together and invigorates community life.

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