As autumn approaches, the Village Trip looks to embark on its 8th edition from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4. The annual festival returns to Lower Manhattan to highlight the cultural significance of the art and activism to come out of the area, as well as to continue the longstanding tradition of birthing new movements and ideas.

Started in 2018 by Liz Thompson as a three day festival, it has since expanded over the years, with some editions being up to 15 days. The mission of the festival is “to uplift, to entertain, and to celebrate the arts for all New Yorkers, their families, and all people from around the world who come to visit Downtown Manhattan’s special oases, Greenwich Village and the East Village.”

The 10-day festival will take place in neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side, and the East Village, with programming featuring different performances ranging from jazz, rock, classical, to poetry, walking tours, talks, and a songwriting workshop.

In observance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the trip will follow a theme of “Revolutionary Voices,” and will base some of the events around that celebration of freedom. Some of the prominent figures that will be highlighted include Woody Guthrie, Thomas Paine, Bob Dylan and Dorothy Day.

The festival will kick off with an opening ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 24, where attendees can meet and chat with performers and organizers, then will officially embark on the main events over the next week and a half, with themed performances including We The People by chamber ensemble Poetica Musica, Reading the Declaration of Independence: A Conversation About Our Past and Present, a reading and discussion of the Declaration of Independence led by Rutgers University professor Robert Snyder, and Revolution, Darling!, a cabaret led by Vivan LeDay to celebrate and share Trans Voices.

Along with the artistic performances, there will be guided walking tours throughout the 10 days, covering American history, along with local culture.

Tours will include East Village Underground, where you will be guided around iconic punk and jazz, Thomas Paine’s Greenwich Village covering the life of the Founding Father in the NYC neighborhood and The 1960s and ‘70s Music of the West Village from Dylan and Springsteen to Woodstock and Beyond, a walkthrough of some of the iconic NYC venues of the era.

For families with children, the festival is hosting three events for the youngsters.

The first event will be on Sept. 26 at the Little Red School House and Elizabeth Irwin High School, where there will be a performance of Woody Guthrie’s Songs to Grow On. The interactive experience designed for children aged 2-5 explores their curiosity and empathy, while introducing them to Guthrie’s classics.

The next children’s event is on Oct. 3, where kids aged 6-12 can take part in the Who Are We? Songwriting Workshop. The workshop led by songwriters David Massingell and Liz Queler will encourage the kids to look inside themselves and answer questions about the world around them to build a full song.

The children’s events will end with Ich Bin Ein New Yorker, performing Leonard Bernstein’s Ode to Freedom along with excerpts from West Side Story.

The festivities will conclude on Oct. 4 with the 40th anniversary of the Greenwich Village Folk Festival.

Founded in 1987 by Rod MacDonald and Raymond Micek, the festival will serve as the closing act to a long 10 days of activities, history and music. With 20 artists total, the lineup features classic folk acts such as Suzanne Vega, Noel Paul Stookey, Guy Davis, John McCutcheon and many others. The event will take place at The Great Hall at Cooper Union and will run from 4-9 p.m.

For more information, visit the Village Trip website.