The Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts celebrates the abundant creativity of Brandeis students, faculty, and staff, joined by distinguished guest artists.
Founded in 1952 by Leonard Bernstein to celebrate the first graduating class of Brandeis, the Festival of the Arts is a campuswide event overseen by the Division of Creative Arts. It is made possible by the generous support of Elaine Reuben ’63, the Mass Cultural Council, and the Aaron Foundation Visiting Artist Fund for Theater, Music, and Fine Arts.
2026 Festival of the Arts: "Art Never Sleeps"
The 2026 Festival of the Arts will take place from April 18 - 19. This isn’t our typical arts festival! Join us for a 24-hour window into the creative work happening across Brandeis. For more information, visit the 2026 Festival of the Arts schedule.
Card to Culture Program
We are proud to participate in the Card to Culture program, a collaboration between the Mass Cultural Council, the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector. The Card to Culture program broadens accessibility to cultural programming by offering free admission to the Festival of the Arts performances, exhibitions, and other programs. Check out the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
Inclusion
The Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts welcomes and encourages the participation of people of all communities, generations and life experiences. We value a diversity of lived experiences and perspectives and recognize that our experiences and perspectives are shaped by multiple and intersecting social identities.
We encourage an exchange of learning among faculty, practitioners, students, staff and audience members. We support continuous reflection and learning about the arts.