Nearly 2,900 theater fans traded Times Square for a former brick factory on the Hudson River this past weekend, as the inaugural edition of a three-day outdoor festival built entirely around Broadway wrapped up in Kingston, New York. Organizers billed it as the first multi-day music festival dedicated exclusively to Broadway stars and musical theater devotees, and the numbers backed up the ambition: 2,875 attendees passed through Hutton Brickyards between Friday and Sunday.
The event, known simply as The Festival, was the brainchild of co-founders Joshua Saltman and David B. Schwartz, who dreamed up the concept after Saltman attended The Broadway Cruise with his wife and wondered whether a Coachella-style outdoor experience could work for musical theater fans, according to Forbes. The pair recruited Broadway industry veterans and former Disney colleagues to build out the event's infrastructure, per the same report. Time Out's Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner attended the weekend firsthand, and her dispatch for Time Out forms much of the on-the-ground account of what unfolded across the property.
The festival opened Friday afternoon and closed out its first night with a campfire sing-along, though pop singer Betty Who dropped out of that performance due to illness, Time Out reported. Programming across the weekend spread over three outdoor stages, and general admission passholders had access to every performance, per the outlet. The site itself carried its own history: Hutton Brickyards operated as a major brick manufacturing plant from 1865 until 1980, producing clay bricks that helped build New York City landmarks including the Empire State Building, Yankee Stadium and Grand Central Terminal, according to Scenic Hudson.
A Rent Reunion Anchored the Weekend
Saturday afternoon's centerpiece was a 30th anniversary concert for Rent, which brought together 13 of the musical's original 15 cast members, according to Time Out's account. Anthony Rapp, who played Mark, and Adam Pascal, who played Roger, opened the concert together and returned Sunday for another set, the outlet reported. The reunited lineup also included Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Fredi Walker-Browne and Daphne Rubin-Vega, according to TheaterMania, whose report noted that Rent debuted on Broadway in 1996 and famously introduced low-cost rush tickets aimed at younger theatergoers.
Elsewhere on the main stage, Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney performed duets from Hadestown and The Great Gatsby, while Alex Newell sang When You're Good to Mama from Chicago and Mama Will Provide from Once on This Island, per Time Out's coverage. Jenn Colella performed a rendition of Melissa Etheridge's Come to My Window, and Lauren Patten performed songs from Jagged Little Pill. Renee Elise Goldsberry delivered solos from The Lion King and Hamilton, and Christopher Jackson performed songs associated with his role as George Washington in Hamilton — a part he is set to reprise in 2027, according to the same account.
New Musicals Got a Preview Alongside Broadway Royalty
The festival wasn't only about nostalgia. On Friday, the event hosted a Previews of New Musicals showcase on the main stage, hosted by NY1 reporter Frank DiLella and featuring song selections from seven upcoming theatrical works, according to American Theatre. The festival was directed by two-time Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, known for Kinky Boots and Hairspray, alongside director D.B. Bonds, with choreography co-led by Jon Rua, the outlet reported.
Jasmine Amy Rogers, slated to star as Maria in an upcoming Sound of Music revival, performed an intimate set during the weekend, per Time Out. Kelli O'Hara sang songs from her signature soprano roles and was joined by her daughter for a rendition of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now, the outlet noted. The weekend closed with Audra McDonald performing interpretations of Cabaret and Gypsy along with a duet alongside Denee Benton, according to the same report — one of three renditions of Suddenly Seymour heard across the festival grounds, per Time Out.
Getting There Meant Shuttles, Not Parking
On-site parking was severely limited at the riverfront grounds, which forced organizers to run shuttle lines connecting regional parking lots and transit stations, according to the festival's ticketing site. Attendees shuttled in from the Hudson Valley Mall on rides that lasted about 10 minutes each way, Time Out reported. Three-day passes ranged from $425 general admission — later rising to $454 — up to $1,450 for VIP premium reserved tickets, with shuttle access add-ons priced at $59 and on-site parking at $199, per the ticketing site. VIP ticketholders received premium seating, tented shaded seating, an air-conditioned lounge and other perks, according to Time Out, while guests otherwise stayed at nearby partner hotels or arranged their own accommodations.
The grounds themselves offered real bathrooms alongside portable toilets, plus local food trucks, pop-ups and Hutton Yards' own sit-in or takeout restaurant, per Time Out's report. Broadway-themed activations, food and craft vendors filled the daytime hours, including balloon art depicting Bruiser from Legally Blonde, the outlet noted. At night, performance spaces spread across four dedicated venues — the Broadway Direct Main Stage, the riverfront New 42 Stage, the Campfire Stage for sing-alongs and Hutton Hall for late-night cabaret — according to BroadwayWorld.
Nightlife Kept the Party Going Until Midnight
After the main-stage sets wrapped, festivalgoers could head to a Broadway Rave dance party, a Club Cumming on the Hudson piano bar, or theatrical costume contests, according to Forbes. Club Cumming, the East Village nightlife hub run by actor Alan Cumming, brought drag, live music and storytelling to Kingston for the occasion, Time Out reported. Even with the late-night programming, the schedule wrapped before midnight each evening, per the outlet.
Kingston itself added a layer of historical resonance to the weekend. The city briefly served as New York State's first capital in 1777 before British troops burned it during the Revolutionary War, according to Pratt Institute. Located roughly 90 miles north of New York City — about a two-hour drive, per Time Out — the Hudson Valley river town has spent recent decades repurposing former industrial sites and brickyards into creative spaces and riverfront resorts, Pratt Institute's research notes. Organizers have already announced that The Festival will return in 2027, according to Time Out, leaving open questions for future seasons about whether the inaugural attendance figures prove sustainable and how the region's residents and venues adjust to hosting a recurring destination event.
