'This is spectacular!' A festival for the neurodiverse is back

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- The Big Umbrella Festival is back at Lincoln Center for the next three weeks, and it has nothing to do with the weather.

Instead, it’s a celebration of neurodiverse artists and audiences.

In Damrosch Park, at the Los Trompos installation, there are larger-than-life spinning tops. They are for everyone to enjoy, especially the neurodiverse community, for people on the spectrum or with different sensory needs.

“This one with the yellow platform, we worked with the creative team to have an inclusive version of a spinning top,” Rebecca Podsednik, Lincoln Center’s director of programming, told PIX11 News. “We wanted to make it part of the festival.”

“This is spectacular,” Gabriella Bodkin, a parent at Los Trompos, told PIX11 News. “It’s great for all kids on the spectrum or who have any neurodivergence issue.”

And there’s even a “chill-out zone” inside the sensory activation vehicle. It’s for everyone who needs to take a sensory break.

“We wanted to make sure those individuals have a space where they can decompress when they are overstimulated in a public environment,” Sean Culkin, a Kulture City Team member, told PIX11 News.

“I’m like an autistic person, so sometimes with the sensory thing I feel good,” Alexander Blackstock, 16 years old, told PIX11 News. “Sometimes having a place to yourself is nice."

Another feature of the Big Umbrella is a show called When the World Turns, an immersive collaboration, inviting audience members to explore a wondrous landscape of foliage, light, sounds, and shadows.

“It’s designed specifically for families and young people with a disability or neurodiversity,” Rainbow Sweeny, producer of When the World Turns, told PIX11 News.

One of the performers, Briony Farrell, added, “It was designed specifically for families and young people with disability and neurodiversity. It’s really special work."

All the activities, installations, or performances at the Big Umbrella Festival are free or pay what you can. The festival continues from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday until April 20th.