Cutting Edge Performance, Diverse Acts & Spaces, Accessible To Many
Founded in 2012 by Stephen Shelley, The BEAT Festival was presented for 5 consecutive Septembers across Brooklyn in New York City. Our aim was simple – to elevate the extraordinary, ground-breaking work created in Brooklyn celebrating the diversity of the borough and it’s world-class artists & spaces.
Along the way, we forged partnerships with some of the leading cultural institutions in the city including the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Public Library and more. We were able to create broader visibility for the artists in the festival through various innovative collaborations including our annual massive, opening night mashup at the Brooklyn Museum which featured every act in that year’s festival.
Please explore the rich programs and moments we created below.

Video
Innovations in Performance
From our sprawling opening night “choose your own adventure” performances at the Brooklyn Museum to our immersive environmental events at Green-Wood Cemetery, Weeksville, Brooklyn Public Library & more
Press
Amplifying Artists
BEAT Festival performances were featured across print, radio, TV and online sources – The New York Times, Financial Times, The New Yorker, NY Daily News, NY1, NBC, Brooklyn Magazine & More
Moments
Festival Memories
Each festival had magical moments that we will never soon forget. Below are a few of our favorites:
Connect with the Founders?
NOTE: Our current immersive theater project can be found here: Great Awakening
Photo credits: Top (LEIMAY), Monica Simoes; Storyboard P/Barclays, Stephanie Meiling; Dancers/Green-Wood Cemetery, Monica Simoes; Lemon Andersen, Stephanie Stanley; Elevator Repair Service, Laura Thompson; Marissa Nielsen Pincus & LeeSaar, Russ Rowland; Storyboard P & Ghost, Stephanie Meiling; Ping Chong, Stephen Shelley; Elisabet Torras Aguilera, Audience & LEIMAY, Monica Simoes; Blacka, Fertile Grounds & Chinese Theater Works, Russ Rowland