GlobalFEST 2025 Announced At Lincoln Center; Tickets On Sale Now

The 22nd edition of New York’s renowned globalFEST returns to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) with a thrilling lineup of artists on Sunday, January 12, 2025, as part of Lincoln Center Presents. Set across three stages at David Geffen Hall, globalFEST 2025 celebrates musical discovery, with traditional, contemporary, and genre-defying acts, bringing together unique musical perspectives that transcend borders. 

After hosting two sold-out winter editions at Lincoln Center, the festival returns with 10 innovative artists curated by co-directors Bill Bragin, Isabel Soffer, and Shanta Thake, Lincoln Center’s Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer, plus this year’s guest curator Priscilla Santana.

The 2025 globalFEST lineup features:

• New York’s Akshara Music Ensemble, showcasing innovative interpretations of South Indian classical music.

• Charismatic Bamba Wassoulou Groove, playing guitar-driven Malian classics and new Bamako grooves.

• Elida Almeida, pairing her silky voice with traditional Cape Verdean rhythms.

• Ghazi & Boom.Diwan collaborating with Arturo O’Farrill for a fusion of Kuwaiti pearl diving songs, Khaleeji, and Afro-Latin jazz.

• Fiery Odesa folk, klezmer, and Balkan songs of Ukraine’s Kommuna Lux.

• Mireya Ramos and the Poor Choices, weaving Mexican ranchera with American country tunes.

• The lively Catalan rumba of Spain’s all-female powerhouse Maruja Limón.

• Paul Beaubrun, mixing Haitian funk and Rara.

• Rebolu, honoring the rich music and dance of Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

• Zar Electrik, blending mesmerizing Maghrebi and sub-Saharan loops and electro beats.

A quote from Bragin, Soffer, and Thake: “We believe music can be a soothing and unifying force that connects people across communities, especially in turbulent times. This year’s globalFEST brings together artists who use their music to amplify cultural stories and celebrate the power and beauty of musical traditions from all over the world. We’re especially excited that Zar Electrik and Bamba Wassoulou Groove will make their New York debuts at this year’s festival.”

Since its inception, globalFEST has been a trailblazing platform for international music and regional American music, helping propel the careers of artists like Antibalas, Angélique Kidjo, DakhaBrakha, Thandiswa Mazwai, Red Baraat, Bab L’Bluz, Meridian Brothers and hundreds more. The festival was created in 2003, in response to the dark days between 9/11 and the start of the Iraq War. Now in its 22nd year, as the world faces new wars, globalFEST remains devoted to encouraging cultural awareness through musical discovery. Over its 22-year history, globalFEST has presented over 300 artists from more than 70 countries and nations and is recognized for bridging cultural divides while championing gender equity, LGBTQ+ voices, and advocacy for artists whose homelands face crisis, natural disaster, and hardship.

Upcoming globalFEST programs include: The Tiny Desk meets globalFEST collaboration airing this spring, with more details to be announced; globalFEST’s Wavelengths Conference, an annual gathering of arts professionals from around the world, on Friday, January 10; and the annual globalFEST Awards Ceremony, honoring movers and shakers who have made outstanding contributions to the performing arts field, at Lincoln Center on festival day, January 12. More details on all events can be found at globalFEST.org.

Tickets for globalFEST 2025 are on sale TODAY at LincolnCenter.org/globalFEST, at 12pm ET. A limited number of tickets will be available at Choose-What-You-Pay prices on the day of the event, beginning at 10:00 am online and by phone. Visit the event page for more information.