The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is a year-round organization that presents an annual celebration of performing arts, lectures, and conversations in New Haven, Connecticut. The Festival convenes leading artists, thought leaders, and innovators from around the world for dynamic public programs to engage, entertain, and inspire a diversity of communities. More than 85% of Festival programming is free to the public, including events that feature some of the most influential musical, circus, and theater artists and speakers of our time.

We seek to attract and engage a broad and diverse audience, celebrating and building community and advancing economic development.

For 2026, the Festival is focusing on HOME & BELONGING and what those experiences look and feel like in everyday life. Home can be the place you live, but it can also be a familiar block, a warm interaction with a neighbor, or a moment during a performance that helps you feel grounded.

This theme reflects the many ways people experience belonging, including those who may sometimes feel overlooked or unsure of where they fit in. By celebrating New Haven’s artists, cultures, and small moments of connection, the Festival hopes to create experiences that feel warm, welcoming, and genuinely open to all.

We want the Festival to feel like what New Haven has always been to us. A place that feels like HOME. A place where you BELONG.