Overview
- The Festival ran at Hutton Brickyards in Kingston over Aug. 14–16 and drew 2,875 attendees from 48 states, with 165 on-stage performers across more than 30 programs.
- Saturday’s 30th-anniversary Rent reunion reunited 13 of the original 15 Broadway cast members and emerged as the weekend’s emotional highlight for many attendees.
- Organizers presented public previews of multiple new musicals in development, including Autopilot, BLUDLINE: A Hop-Hop Odyssey, Huzzah!, Love Somebody, and Regency Girls.
- The event was produced by A Weekend in the Country with creative leadership from Jerry Mitchell, Jon Rua and D. B. Bonds, and used tiered ticketing and on-site programming like panels and master classes to create a festival-style fan experience.
- Producers announced The Festival will return in 2027 with dates to be announced, a move that could make Kingston a recurring regional hub for Broadway talent, early-stage work and local economic activity.