Lincoln Center Presents October Highlights, Including FESTIVAL OF FIRSTS And UNSOUND

Lincoln Center will present free and Choose-What-You-Pay events throughout October 2025, including the Festival of Firsts, Passing the Crown with MC Lyte and Rapsody, the Legacies of San Juan Hill Festival, the family-friendly Open House, and the return of the Unsound Festival. Events take place across Lincoln Center’s campus, offering debuts, concerts, and community programs.

Festival of Firsts (October 3–23)

Lincoln Center’s fourth-annual Festival of Firsts showcases bold debuts and world premieres. Highlights include Malicho Vaca Valenzuela’s New York play debut (Oct. 3), Fusilier’s Ambush album performance (Oct. 4), Ana Everling’s New York debut (Oct. 9), Latin GRAMMY-nominated trio DARUMAS (Oct. 10), Love? Said the Commander (Oct. 15), immersive performance Art Bath (Oct. 16), genre-bending Sparklmami (Oct. 17), Apocalypse Noir’s headlining debut (Oct. 22), and countertenor Key’mon Murrah’s The Fach?! (Oct. 23).

Passing the Crown (October 12)

Hip-Hop legend MC Lyte headlines Passing the Crown, joined by GRAMMY winner Rapsody and pioneering DJ Perly. The event fuses live orchestra, turntablism, freestyle, and dance to reimagine hip-hop’s history, conceived by violinist-composer Juliette Jones and styled by April Walker.

Legacies of San Juan Hill Festival (October 14–29)

The Legacies of San Juan Hill Festival honors the vibrant neighborhood that predated Lincoln Center, featuring live music, film, theater, and visual arts. Events highlight the artists and activists who shaped New York’s cultural heartbeat.

Open House (October 26)

This free, family-friendly weekend features storytimes, Cirque Kikasse, sing-alongs with Visionary Artist Jeanine Tesori, opera storytelling with the Metropolitan Opera, and dance workshops with New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet. Families can also enjoy an Instrument Petting Zoo, puppet-making, VR experiences, and more.

Collective Body (October 22–November 1)

Lincoln Center presents Collective Body, an interactive VR experience commissioned by the Center. Conceived by Sarah Silverblatt-Buser and produced by Atlas V and ONX Onassis, the project blends dance, technology, and immersive storytelling.

Unsound Festival (October 30–November 2)

The Unsound Festival returns with genre-defying, international programming including RP Boo & Gary Gwadera, Sinfonietta Cracovia playing Mica Levi/Lucrecia Dalt/Aleksandra Słyż, John Cale’s Steam on Glass, and Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko.