ArtPhilly to launch major citywide art festival in May

The 'What Now: 2026' festival will feature over 100 art events, including 35 commissioned works, examining the nation's 250th birthday.

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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ArtPhilly, a new citywide arts festival, is set to launch in May 2026 with over 100 events, including 35 commissioned works, that will explore the state of American democracy and the nation's 250th birthday. The festival will feature a range of artistic disciplines, from theater and dance to music and visual arts, with the goal of encouraging artists to take a critical look at the current political and social landscape.

Why it matters

The ArtPhilly festival is arriving at a pivotal moment, as Philadelphia prepares to host a number of major events in 2026, including the FIFA World Cup, the PGA Championship, and a surge of historical tourism. The festival is seen as an opportunity for artists to engage with the complex issues facing the country and encourage deeper reflection on the promises and disappointments of American democracy.

The details

The festival has commissioned several notable artists to create new works for the event. Playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith is developing a documentary play called 'The Basil Biggs Project,' based on her own ancestor who was hired to bury Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. Composers and singers Lauren Talese and Zeek Burse are in residence at the Museum of the American Revolution, creating original music inspired by the museum's collection and display of the nation's origin story. Trapeta Mason, Philadelphia's fifth poet laureate, will create a two-part poetic interpretation and immersive experience about Dinah, a Black enslaved woman who helped rescue the historic Stenton House from being burned down by British soldiers in 1777.

  • The ArtPhilly festival is set to launch in May 2026.
  • Trapeta Mason was selected as Philadelphia's fifth poet laureate in 2019.

The players

ArtPhilly

A new citywide arts festival launching in Philadelphia in 2026.

Anna Deavere Smith

A playwright and actress who is developing a documentary play called 'The Basil Biggs Project' for the ArtPhilly festival.

Lauren Talese and Zeek Burse

Composers and singers who are in residence at the Museum of the American Revolution, creating original music inspired by the museum's collection and display of the nation's origin story.

Trapeta Mason

Philadelphia's fifth poet laureate, who will create a two-part poetic interpretation and immersive experience about Dinah, a Black enslaved woman who helped rescue the historic Stenton House.

Dinah

A Black enslaved woman who helped rescue the historic Stenton House from being burned down by British soldiers in 1777.

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What they’re saying

“What would compel an African American woman in that era to save a home?”

— Trapeta Mason, Philadelphia's fifth poet laureate (whyy.org)

“We stand collectively on a precipice, a political precipice, a precipice of technology, of war and, God willing, of change. When we find ourselves on a precipice, we must ask the inevitable question: What now? This is the absolute right moment for ArtPhilly to pose this question, because the world will be watching.”

— Kathryn Ott Lovell, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corp. (whyy.org)

“They offer work that asks us to look harder, feel more fully, when sometimes we don't want to feel. Together, we offer you this festival as an invitation, not an escape, but an encounter.”

— Jay Adair (whyy.org)

What’s next

The festival will feature a range of events, including a new choreography by Ballet X for Antonio Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons,' a 'city symphony' film about Philadelphia shot by amateur citizen filmmakers, and a weeklong festival of performances and workshops about Afrofuturism in electronic music presented by DJ and producer King Britt.

The takeaway

The ArtPhilly festival is an ambitious and timely initiative that aims to engage artists and the public in critical reflections on the state of American democracy and the nation's 250th birthday. By commissioning diverse artistic works that explore these themes, the festival hopes to encourage deeper understanding and dialogue around the complex issues facing the country.