The Dark, a new annual festival from PS21 Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, will celebrate and elevate the depths of winter from February 16 to 22, 2026.
The festival will unfold at PS21 and across Columbia County, including theatres, restaurants, libraries, saunas, and outdoor public spaces, featuring more than 60 international artists and 80 performances overall. The Dark offers a packed week of world-class contemporary performance, installation, music, dance, and theater, all exploring winter as a time of community and solitude, fire and ice cold, darkness and light.
A major new attraction for the region, the festival positions Columbia County as a year-round cultural destination—not just a summer one.
Venues taking part in The Dark include:
PS21 : Center for Contemporary Performance “The Dark”
Pavillion • Pond • Tent Site • Animal Haven • Black Box Theater • Grounds
Chatham – Chatham Public Library • Chatham Bookstore • Crandell Theatre • Masonic Hall • St. James Church • Stonykill Coffee & Records
Ghent – Art OMI
Hudson – Basilica • Creative Legion • Hudson Hall • Pocketbook • Time Space Limited
Kinderhook – Kinderhook Knitting Mill
Spencertown – Spencertown Academy
The full festival lineup has been announced, and includes a huge number of performances across the aforementioned venues.
Alex Harvey • The Willows • Stonykill Coffee and Records • Chatham, NY
Andrew Schneider • NOWISWHENWEARE (the stars) • PS21 Black Box Theater • Chatham, NY
Ant Hampton & Time Based Editions • Borderline Visible • Chatham Bookshop • Chatham , NY
Ant Hampton with Tim Etchells • Not to Scale • US premiere • Creative Legion • Hudson , NY
Ant Hampton with Tim Etchells • The Quiet Volume • Chatham Public Library • Chatham , NY
Arone Dyer / Droneschoir • Lode* • Masonic Hall • Chatham, NY
Autumn Knight • Nothing #62: a bluff • Pocketbook Hudson • Hudson, NY
Ben LaMar Gay • Cold was the Ground • Crandell Theatre • Chatham, NY
Bert & Nasi / Tim Etchells • L’Addition • US premiere • Time & Space Limited • Hudson, NY
David Lang & Bill Morrison • darker • Crandell Theatre • Chatham, NY
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou • Night Prayers, piano by Thomas Feng • PS21 Black Box Theater • Chatham, NY
John Fitzgerald • The Vivid Unknown: Cloudqatsi • US premiere • PS21 Animal Barn • Chatham, NY
Julian Brave NoiseCat • We Survived the Night: A Coyote Story in Four Parts • World premiere • Spencertown Academy • Spencertown, NY
Kara-Lis Coverdale • Music for Organ • St. James Church • Chatham, NY
Kara-Lis Coverdale • A Series of Actions in a Sphere of Forever • PS21 Black Box Theater • Chatham, NY
LaJuné McMillian • Constellations • World premiere • PS21 Ice Skating Rink • Chatham, NY
Lee Ranaldo & Leah Singer • ContreJour • Basilica Hudson • Hudson, NY
Natural Information Society • Perseverance Flow • Crandell Theatre • Chatham, NY
Okwui Okpokwasili & Peter Born: sweat variant • my tongue is a blade • US premiere • Hudson Hall • Hudson, NY
Peni Candra Rini & Garin Nugroho • Setan Jawa • Crandell Theatre • Chatham, NY
Phil Kline • Force of Nature (February) • World premiere • PS21 Grounds • Chatham, NY
Raven Chacon & David Lang • Voiceless Mass and the little match girl passion • St. James Church • Chatham, NY
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe • Nsenene / Grasshopper Republic • Crandell Theater • Chatham, NY
Sarah Hennies & Tristan Kasten-Krause • Prisoner’s Cinema • Masonic Hall • Chatham, NY
Sister Sylvester • Constantinopoliad • US premiere • Kinderhook Knitting Mill • Kinderhook, NY
Sister Sylvester • Drinking Brecht • Spencertown Academy • Spencertown, NY
Sister Sylvester • Shadowtime • Creative Legion • Hudson, NY
Sophia Brous • Songs for the Dark • World premiere • Art OMI Barn • Ghent, NY
Trisha Brown Dance Company • In Plain Site • Masonic Hall • Chatham, NY
Walid Raad • Artist Talk • Crandell Theatre • Chatham, NY
Purchasing tickets individually for all events would total $875, but The Dark Festival Pass saves you 60%. An Early Bird Festival Pass runs $350 and is available until January 10 – tickets here.
Comments are closed.