Festival FAQs
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Yes! So many!
August 29 - 11:00am
Opening Day activities at Kaatsbaan include bike maintenance workshop with Laura Curry, wampum
belt artmaking with Vickie Ramirez, Ty Defoe, and Jeanette Harrison, and lacrosse stick handling clinic with Bard College Women’s Lacrosse team. Bring your bike, bring your friends and family. All are welcome! Fields next to Studio Complex
September 4 - 5:00–6:00pm
Artist Talk during Tivoli First Fridays, learn about “Cita en Bici/Bike Date” with social practice artist
Laura Curry. She will share her research and hands- on advice for simple bike maintenance. At Tivoli Free Library, 86 Broadway, with your bike and gear (see online event page).
September 6 - 1:00–3:00pm
Art Walk with 2026 Visual Arts Exhibition curator and participating artists in Earthly Delights, works evoking planets, plants, insects, and other biological forms erupting out of the mystical landscape. Meet at Kaatsbaan Studio Complex.
September 11 - 7:00-8:30pm
Artist Talk with festival choreographers Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington (MasterZ at Work), and Ronald K. Brown and Arcell Cabuag (EVIDENCE), facilitated by choreographer Souleymane Badolo
(Assistant Professor of Dance, Bard College). At Kaatsbaan Black Box Theater in the Studio Complex.
August 29-September 12
Performance Lending Library: Bring your smart phone/tablet (data streaming required), earbuds/ headphones and be led into a range of audio-guided physical experiences with your imagination as the site of the artwork. Go at your own pace in and around Kaatsbaan. All under 30 minutes. To begin, scan QR code at Kaatsbaan Studio Complex or Concessions.
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The performances take place both indoors and outdoors (weather permitting). Below is a description of the locations. The location for each event is listed on each event page on our website. You can learn more about our facilities in the Your Visit section of our website.
Meadow Stage: The Meadow Stage is outdoors and located approximately 500 feet from the parking lot in front of the Studio Complex.
Mountain Stage: The Mountain Stage is outdoors and located about a 12-minute walk from the parking lot.
Black Box Theater: The Black Box Theater is an indoor theater located in the Studio Complex and approximately 600 feet away from the parking lot.
Lobby Gallery + Grounds: The Lobby Gallery is an indoor gallery located approximately 600 feet away from the parking lot in the Studio Complex. The grounds include several horse fields and a gravel/dirt walking path.
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For the performances taking place outdoors at the Meadow and Mountain Stages, a grass field is in front of the stage. Ticket holders may rent chairs at Concessions or BYO chairs and blankets. A limited number of benches will also be available at the Meadow Stage only, first come, first served. Please note that the outdoor seating areas are not covered. We suggest that you arrive prepared with sunscreen, a hat, and bug spray.
For performances taking place in our Studio Complex, the Black Box Theater has raked seating with removable seats to accommodate wheelchairs in the front row as needed.
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YES! We have a wonderful array of local beer and wine, water, snacks, Kaatsbaan hats, and other merchandise at most events. Your patronage of our Concessions supports the festival and Kaatsbaan in general.
On August 29th and September 5th, a variety of food trucks will be onsite for your purchasing and eating pleasure.
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Kaatsbaan is dedicated to welcoming all guests. If you are in need of assistance or accommodations to get to the performance area, our ticket checkout has a section where you can indicate needs. You may also tell a parking attendant on arrival. Chauffeured Golf carts are available for all who need assistance navigating our campus.
A gravel/dirt road leads from the main parking lot to the Studio Complex, Meadow, and Mountain Stages, and a brick-paved walkway is in front of the Studio Complex. Our accessible parking lot is 50 feet from the Studio Complex. The Meadow Stage and grounds are next to the Studio Complex. If needed, attendants can guide cars to drop off guests at the front of the Studio Complex. The Studio Complex has a wooden porch with three steps. A ramp is located to the right of the Studio Complex porch, accessed by a short brick path. The Mountain Stage is a nice walk further into campus. If you need assistance getting there, our staff can help - especially if you tell us when you buy your tickets!
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Please contact us if our pricing makes it difficult for you to attend: boxoffice@kaatsbaan.org
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The restrooms in the Studio Complex are gender neutral. Signs posted at each entrance indicate whether stalls and/or urinals are inside. If you prefer a private bathroom, one is available at the Artist Farmhouse across the accessibility parking lot. Festival staff can give you directions.
There are two portable restrooms near the Mountain Stage. One is ADA accessible.
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On Festival days, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is open to the public two hours before the first event. After the first event begins, access beyond the Box Office is restricted to ticket holders only. Additionally, the campus is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.
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On Festival days, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is open to the public two hours before the first event. After the first event begins, access beyond the Box Office is restricted to ticket holders only. Additionally, the campus is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.
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Kaatsbaan has a no-refund policy. If you would like to protect your ticket purchase, the option to purchase Booking Protect is available to add to your cart at the end of your ticket purchase.
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Children ages 4 and under are welcome to attend for free. Most events have a student rate, available to students of any age with ID.
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Some of the 2026 Annual Festival activities occur outdoors in uncovered spaces. In the event of inclement weather, the activity will either move into Kaatsbaan’s Black Box Theater (maximum capacity between 150–250, depending on type of activity) or an alternate performance date will be announced. Kaatsbaan will make a weather-related call 24 hours in advance of a festival day. Ticket holders will be notified of this change via email and on social media within that time frame.
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Certified service animals for guests with disabilities are welcome at the 2026 Annual Festival. Each service animal must remain with its owner at all times, be housebroken, and remain on a leash, harness, tether, or otherwise under the owner/handler’s control.
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Tivoli
● Giobatta Alimentari
● Santa Fe Tivoli
● The Corner @ Hotel Tivoli
● Tivoli Bread and Baking
● Tivoli General
● Traghaven Whiskey Pub
● Osaka Japanese Restaurant
● Fortunes Ice Cream
● Club Sandwich
● Bad Times Bar
● Lasting Joy Brewery (outside Village of Tivoli)
● Broadway Pizza
Red Hook
● Bubby’s Takeaway Kitchen
● The Corner Counter
● Bliss Cafe
● Catalinas Deli & Market
● Charlie O’s, Inc.
● Flatiron
● Hana Sushi
● Holy Cow Creamery
● Salvatore’s Pizzeria
● Annabelle’s Village Bakeshop
● Cancun’s Mexican Restaurant
● Taste Budds
● Yum Yum Noodle Bar
Rhinebeck
● Aba’s Falafel
● Aroi Thai Restaurant
● Cinnamon Indian Restaurant
● Foster’s Coach House Tavern
● Bread Alone Bakery
● Le Petit Bistro
● Terrapin Restaurant and Bistro
● Momiji Hibachi Sushi and Bar
● Gigi Trattoria
● The Amsterdam
● Pretty To Think So
● Terrapin Restaurant