KIMERA FESTIVAL | Free Music + Storytelling

IBOC + W 111 STREET BLOCK ASSOCIATION HOST

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hyperlocal + omnicultural
music + storytelling

Kimera Festival is place for connecting through music and storytelling, showcasing our Upper Manhattan neighborhood and curated with a global vision. Expect original music from across all genres, stories from our neighbors, and food from the local restaurants.

Occuring on W.111th Street at Amsterdam Avenue, Kimera Festival embraces NYC Open Streets and is free, outdoors, and accessible.

AND...Don't forget, wear your costumes for the final Kimera Festival day of 2025, October 25. We are teaming up with the Morningside Heights’s Haunted Fountain Halloween Festival and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

You won't want to miss it!

Location: W.111th Street at Amsterdam Ave. Free-Open Street

Dates: May 17, October 25, 2025 (with rain dates on the following Sundays)

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY THE UPPER MANHATTAN CULTURAL COUNCIL, LOWER MANHATTAN CULTURAL COUNCIL, AND PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

RSVP

LINEUP!

HYPERLOCAL + OMNICULTURAL

Follow the ibrazilianopera instagram for live updates.

MAY 17 - STORIES THROUGH MUSIC

2 pm / emily keating showcases songs from her album no drama

3:00 pm / more opera + iboc presents empress matilda by sarah wald + Lift Every Voice and Sing - A MORE Opera Preview

4:00 pm / esther crow + her funky puppets

5:00 pm / wendy & d.b. / children's blues

Rain date: Sunday, May 18

OCTOBER 25 - KIMERA HALLOWEEN

2pm / dj + event announcements. neighborhood resource tables

2:30 pm / act i

3 - 5pm / safe family friendly trick-or-treating, crafts, scavenger hunt at the cathedral

4 pm / act ii

5 pm / costume parade & contests. all ages and pets welcome! taste w111th begins (neighborhood restaurant food crawl)

6 pm / act iii

7 pm / announcement of the winner of taste w111th triple-one cup

Raindate: Sunday, Oct.26

got a story to tell?

We need passionate storytellers, musicians, and performers to present their original sets.

Please register your interest HERE.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

HOW TO GET HERE?

Kimera Festival embraces NYC Open Streets and is free, outdoors, and accessible. The festival is literally on Amsterdam Avenue at W 111 Street. Enter the Hungarian Pastry Shop (1030 Amsterdam Ave, New York City, NY 10025) into your Google Maps Ap and arrive at our stage.

Subway:

The Red 1 line is the closest walking distance, exit at the Cathedral Parkway 110 station, walk one block south on W 110, and turn north on Amsterdam Avenue.

Alternatively, walk up (West) to Amsterdam Ave from the Orange B or Blue C line at Cathedral Parkway 110 station.

Bus:

Lines M3, M4, M5, M7, M11, M104

MEET THE HOSTS

Kimera Festival is a partnership between two W.111th Street-based non-profits, W.111th Street Block Association and the International Brazilian Opera Company.

The festival manifests a common desire to celebrate our diverse world and host a shared, open space for communities to gather and tell stories.

The Block Association and International Brazilian Opera Company partnership began in 2022 with the goals to share resources to unite local and global talent to develop high-quality programming and engage the community to celebrate our diversity and neighborhood spirit.

Past W111BA - IBOC collaborations have drawn hundreds of people from across the city, and we are poised to expand these efforts professionally to improve our offerings.

We look forward to engaging with potential sponsors of our collaboration.

Contact: athena@brazilianopera.com, (510) 846-8940

Curation + Production

INTERNATIONAL BRAZILIAN OPERA COMPANY

The International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC) is a New York-based non-profit (501c3) organization with a mission to support the creation of a new operatic repertoire combining ideas from Brazilian and international artists while providing an educational structure for emerging talent.

Since 2013, we've supported 64 immigrant artists to work in the USA, developed 7 operas, presented in 3 countries, and have provided music education experiences for the youth and adults alike.

IBOC serves to create cross-cultural connections and dialogue. The company was established out of a need for more musical and cultural diversity in opera. IBOC also overcomes barriers to immigrant participation by sponsoring artist visas and navigating the ins and outs of foreign bureaucracy and project funding for artist development.

The partnership with the 111th St. Block Association started when we sought to create an environment to develop and promote our popular music performing artists in the IBOC Career Development Program while creating deeper connections with our local NYC community.

Street Venue Host

W 111TH BLOCK ASSOCIATION

The W111th Street Block Association is an active group of neighbors who volunteer to keep our community clean, safe, and livable. The Block Association was originally founded in the early 1970s but was dormant until 2020, as COVID-19 was emerging. Our group works closely with local residents, small businesses, nearby institutions, and other community organizations to host family-friendly entertainment/education programs, neighborhood improvement efforts, and events that support local shops and restaurants.

The Block Association was selected to pilot the 2023 Building Blocks program. This initiative was developed by Open Plans, a citywide nonprofit that works to enhance community engagement and propel improvements to local infrastructure. Along with our effective working relationships with NYPD 26th Precinct, FDNY Engine 47, and Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, this is an example of how we foster neighbor input in local policy discussions.

Morningside Heights has a long and notable history of neighborhood engagement and Block Association participants are proud to continue this legacy of ensuring our diverse community is informed and engaged. We have been covered widely in local print, broadcast, and online media and recognized by our New York State Assembly Member, the Manhattan Borough President, and our City Council Member. The Block Association has received funding from the Citizens Committee for New York and the New York City Department of Transportation to operate a very successful Open Street on Amsterdam Avenue -- the first in Morningside Heights. Our annual Good Neighbor and Hero of Morningside Heights awards recognize neighbors and prominent New Yorkers who have made positive impacts in our community.