NYC's Lower East Side Festival of the Arts is a cabaret-style festival featuring more than 100 performing groups from the Lower East Side. The theme for 2023 is The Heat Is On.

The festival features three days of theater and theater-related events, employing two theater spaces at TNC plus the block of East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues.

Indoor performances take stage from 6pm to midnight each day, utilizing two of TNC's four theaters.

From 10am to 6pm Saturday, vendors and food sellers, including booths from nearby restaurants, set up in the closed-off block of East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues.

On Saturday, from 1pm to 5pm, an outdoor stage adjoining the theater offers music and multi-discipline performances curated by Richard West.

On Saturday afternoon inside in the Johnson Theater, there are performances by and for children, curated by Danielle Hauser.

2pm- 2:15pm — John Grimaldi with magic for all ages
2:20pm- 2:40pm — Songs from The Wizard of Oz, performed by the Yip Harburg Rainbow Troupe.
2:45pm- 2:55pm — TNCs Arts in Education presents CHANGES & TIME
3pm- 3:10pm — COBU Kids Japanese Taiko drum group
3:15pm- 3:30pm — MOVE. MAKE. BLOOM. Student Performance Ensemble
3:35pm-3:55pm — Kalavant Center presents Sitar duet with Tabla

On Saturday from 1pm to 11pm in the Cabaret Theater, over 15 films curated by Eva Dorrepaal are screened.

On Sunday from 4pm to 7pm in TNC's Community Theater, a "poetry jam with prose on the side," curated by Lissa Moira.

Throughout the festival, an art show curated by Carolyn Ratcliffe graces the TNC lobby spaces.