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Big Umbrella Outdoors 

Lincoln Center welcomed young audiences with autism and other developmental disabilities and their families to its outdoor performing arts center, Restart Stages, for a weekend of programming in September 2021, but it's not too late to be a part of the action! Register now for a thrilling at-home audio adventure for kids, Sun Runners, available through September 26. 

Families experienced Big Umbrella Outdoors in a 2-hour ticketed window which began and ended with a live performance, allowing time to choose and explore several interactive installations in between. A few highlights of featured artists and works included: interactive puppet performance Squonk's Big Hands for Big Umbrella, sonic soundscape Swingset Drumkit, sensory sculpture OrchidsPlayscape (still available on campus and open to the general public through September 27), music and dance performances featuring artists with disabilities, plus a special event on Friday night welcoming teens and young adults. View the digital program.

Big Umbrella Outdoors was an extension of our 2018 Big Umbrella Festival. Our commitment to audiences with disabilities continues, and as we consider our approach to creating spaces that are radically welcoming and socially inclusive, we were eager to experiment with multi-sensory work in an outdoor setting. Thank you for joining us!

Big Umbrella Outdoors was part of Restart Stages at Lincoln Center, a program of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-Lincoln Center Agora Initiative with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), which activates outdoor space through artistic and community initiatives that speak to our current moment, and reimagines cultural engagement in public space for a new era.

Accessibility Features

Ticket holders received digital social narratives in advance of the event.
All events were located on accessible routes and included accessible entrances, restrooms, and seating.
Assistive listening devices with headsets and neck loops were available.
Chill out spaces with flexible seating, shade and quiet were available.
Noise-reducing headphones and fidgets were available at all event spaces.

Experience OrchidsPlayscape through September 27

Created especially for guests with autism, this interactive sculpture encourages play as a form of sensorial exploration. Creativity emerges while combining, muting and magnifying sensory elements of the installation. Stop by Josie Robertson Plaza to experience this fun and engaging artwork; tickets not required. Learn More

On-demand

Thanks to Our Supporters

Major support for Big Umbrella Outdoors is provided by the FAR Fund.

This program is made possible by public funds facilitated by the following: New York City Council's Autism Awareness Initiative The Honorable Corey Johnson, Speaker, New York City Council The Honorable Mark Levine, New York City Council, Chair of the Committee on Health The Honorable Farah Louis, New York City Council, Chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction The Honorable Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President

Restart Stages is made possible by Stavros Niarchos Foundation-Lincoln Center Agora Initiative.

Major support provided by First Republic Bank.

Additional support provided by BNY Mellon, Cleary Gottlieb, Warburg Pincus, Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.) Inc., the Scully Peretsman Foundation, Shari and Jeff Aronson, and Lincoln Center’s 20/21 Donors and Members

Endowment support is provided by Oak Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

In-kind support is provided by United Staging and Rigging, Worldstage, Inc., Audio, Inc., Hudson Scenic Studio, and TGIF Event Services.

Programming for Lincoln Center Education is made possible by Sherman Fairchild Foundation, LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Constans Culver Foundation, Alice L. Walton Foundation, Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, Inc., Theodore H. Barth Foundation, The Giants Foundation, Lincoln Center's Education Committee, and Lincoln Center's generous donors and supporters.

Lincoln Center’s artistic excellence is made possible by the dedication and generosity of our board members.

Operation of Lincoln Center's public plazas is supported in part with public funds provided by the City of New York.

Public support for Lincoln Center is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Gonzalo Casals, Commissioner, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

NewYork-Presbyterian is the Official Hospital of Lincoln Center.