Patti Smith to Celebrate Bob Dylan’s 80th Birthday at Outdoor Spring Festival

Patti Smith will celebrate Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday in May at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park’s outdoor Spring Festival.

Held at a 153-acre campus in Tivoli, New York, the festival will take place during the last two weekends in May (20th-23rd and 27th-30th). Smith will perform on the 22nd, two days before Dylan turns 80. She and her longtime bandmate Tony Shanahan will perform Dylan songs and recite poetry. The festival will also feature sculpture, culinary arts, and dance — including two premieres from American Ballet Theater and performances by Martha Graham Dance Company.

The festival will be held at less than 3% capacity and will follow the Covid-19 guidelines of CDC and New York State, including masks and socially distanced seating. Essential workers, students, veterans, and seniors will receive a 10% discount. Kaatsbaan members are now able to purchase presale tickets, while tickets to the public go on sale on March 8th on Kaatsbaan’s website. Digital tickets go on sale on May 1st.

“Following the success of our 2020 Summer Festival, which was a direct response to the challenges facing our industry at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are thrilled to present this inaugural Spring Festival,” executive director Sonja Kostich said in a statement. “During the nine-week Summer Festival, Kaatsbaan was able to support over 100 New York-based artists. Kaatsbaan is also committed to the health and vibrancy of our local economy, with the Spring Festival providing opportunities for local economic growth that includes exciting new partnerships.”

Smith rang in the new year by performing her staple “People Have the Power” on Inauguration Day. “It’s a beautiful night,” she said. “We have a new year to look forward to in America, a new administration, and a new president and vice president, and our democracy seems to be quite intact. [I] just wish everyone a better year. 2020 has been a Blakeian year, but I think the glad day is coming.”