The festival that grew out of downtown’s recovery after September 11 is marking a milestone. The Tribeca Festival’s 25th edition runs June 3 through 14, 2026, across venues in Lower Manhattan, and the lineup is among its largest: 118 feature films — 103 of them world premieres — plus 86 shorts.

The headliners

The festival opens with Academy Award winner Questlove’s documentary about Earth, Wind & Fire and its founder Maurice White, paired with an opening-night performance from Earth, Wind & Fire and The Roots. It closes with “Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell’s Kitchen,” a portrait of the New York-born musician. In between, the program leans into the marquee names that have defined Tribeca’s music-and-film hybrid identity, including a Madonna short, “Confessions II,” followed by a sit-down between the artist and Jimmy Fallon.

A 25th-anniversary victory lap

For its silver anniversary, the festival is building programming around the alumni who came through it on the way up. Honored names this year include Damien Chazelle, Jon M. Chu, Ryan Coogler, Nia DaCosta, the directing duo Daniels, David Gelb, Alex Gibney and Domee Shi — a roster meant to underline Tribeca’s role as an early stage for filmmakers who went on to win Oscars and run franchises. The anniversary framing is also a reminder of the festival’s origin: co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2002 to draw people back to a neighborhood emptied out after the attacks.

The shape of the program

With 103 world premieres among 118 features, Tribeca remains a launch platform as much as a showcase — the festival has steadily expanded beyond film into music, games, podcasts and immersive work, but the feature slate is still its spine. The 86 shorts round out a program spread across downtown screens for the 12-day run.

Why it matters

Tribeca is one of New York’s signature cultural exports and a meaningful economic driver for Lower Manhattan, bringing filmmakers, press and audiences into the neighborhood it was created to revive. Twenty-five years on, the festival is leaning on its own history — its alumni, its origin story and its music DNA — to make the case that it is now an institution. The run begins June 3 and continues through June 14.

Verification

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2026 Tribeca Festival?
June 3 through 14, 2026, across venues in downtown Manhattan. It is the festival's 25th-anniversary edition.
What is the opening-night film?
Questlove's documentary about Earth, Wind & Fire and its founder Maurice White, with an opening-night performance by Earth, Wind & Fire and The Roots.
How many films are in the lineup?
118 feature films, including 103 world premieres, alongside 86 short films.
What is the closing-night film?
'Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell's Kitchen.'