Live Entertainment Returns in New York With NY PopsUp

Live entertainment is finally coming back in New York and it's coming right to you.

In an effort to jumpstart New York's struggling live entertainment sector, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced NY PopsUp, an unprecedented and expansive festival featuring hundreds of pop-up performances, with dozens of celebrities, that will come straight to you.

"Cities have taken a real blow during COVID, and the economy will not come back fast enough on its own - we must bring it back," Governor Cuomo said. "Creative synergies are vital for cities to survive, and our arts and cultural industries have been shut down all across the country, taking a terrible toll on workers and the economy. We want to be aggressive with reopening the State and getting our economy back on track, and NY PopsUp will be an important bridge to the broader reopening of our world-class performance venues and institutions. New York has been a leader throughout this entire pandemic, and we will lead once again with bringing back the arts."

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NY PopsUp will be staged across every type of neighborhood and district in all five boroughs of New York City, throughout Long Island and Upstate New York. COVID-19 has made mass gatherings and large, destination-style events impossible. NY PopsUp will meet residents where they are, making stages out of existing landscapes, including iconic transit stations, parks, subway platforms, museums, skate parks, street corners, fire escapes, parking lots, storefronts and locations never used for performances before. Instead of there being masses of audience members at a handful of events, NYPopsUp is a mass of events, each for a safe and secure 'handful' of audience members.

As COVID restrictions begin to loosen, the model that NY PopsUp builds for holding safe live events will pave the way for the reopening other venues throughout New York State. These will be the very first indoor performances since the pandemic began and will mark a major moment in New York's recovery efforts.

A range of artists representing all areas of performance - from theater to dance, from poetry to comedy, from pop music to opera, and so much have already signed on. Among the confirmed artists are Hugh Jackman, Amy Schumer, Alec Baldwin, Chris Rock, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Isabel Leonard, Nico Muhly, Joyce DiDonato, John Early and Kate Berlant, Patti Smith, Mandy Patinkin, Raja Feather Kelly, J'Nai Bridges, Kenan Thompson, Gavin Creel, Garth Fagan, Larry Owens, Q-Tip, Billy Porter, Conrad Tao, Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, Tina Landau, Rhiannon Giddens, Aparna Nancherla, Anthony Rodriguez, Jonathan Groff, Savion Glover, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Chris Celiz, Christine Goerke, Kelli O'Hara, Dev Hynes, Phoebe Robinson, Sara Mearns, George Saunders, Caleb Teicher, Danielle Brooks, Jeremy Denk, Idina Menzel, Sondra Radvanovsky, Gaby Moreno, Davóne Tines, Jerrod Carmichael, Taylor Mac, Sutton Foster, Jessie Mueller, and Courtney ToPanga Washington, among many others.

NY PopsUp will begin Saturday, February 20th with members of the artists council leading a performance at the Javits Center as a special tribute to our healthcare workers. Throughout the day, the performers will travel around New York City, meeting audiences at various locations throughout all five boroughs in courtyards, workplaces, parks, and street corners.

On Sunday, February 21, legendary choreographer Garth Fagan's company will lead a special performance at the MAGIC Spell Studios at the Rochester Institute of Technology as a tribute for the staff who have made it possible for RIT to stay open and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More details about NY PopsUp will be announced soon. Given the impromptu nature and surprise element of the pop-up format, not all performances will be announced in advance. Follow @NYPopsUp on Twitter and Instagram for the latest.