Twelve Step Meeting
2026-08-28 12:15 (America/New_York) | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance

CHQ Dialogues
2026-08-28 12:30 | Lutheran House, Lutheran House

Introduction to Jumu'ah Muslim Prayer
2026-08-28 12:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
Jumu’ah introduction for visitors is at 12:30 PM. Jumu’ah Service is at 1:05 PM

Bestor Plaza Demo/Talk: Breaking down a whole chicken with a Sysco Chef
2026-08-28 13:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza
Big flavor meets big ideas in Bestor Plaza. Enjoy a dynamic lineup of live culinary demonstrations and discussions featuring chefs, artisans, and community partners from across the region and beyond. These engaging sessions spotlight innovative techniques, cultural traditions, sustainability practices, and the stories behind the food we love.
Held daily during the Taste Caravan, each demonstration or talk runs from approximately 1:00–1:45 p.m. and offers guests the chance to learn, ask questions, and connect directly with experts—all while enjoying small bites from the surrounding food vendors.
Featured topics will include a discussion on innovative approaches to tackling food insecurity with 412 Food Rescue, the cultural significance of matzo ball soup and challah bread—with hands on challah braiding guests can take home—live fish breakdowns showcase the preparation process for both restaurant and home chefs, and much more. Programming will showcase something new each day, highlighting regional chefs, culinary professionals, and community organizations.
All demonstrations and talks are free to watch and designed to complement the vibrant flavors and energy of the Taste Caravan, making them the perfect midday stop for inspiration, learning, and delicious discovery.

English Lawn Bowling Tips
2026-08-28 13:00 | Sports Club, Lawn Bowling Green

Kelly Link
2026-08-28 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Literary & Scientific Circle — White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link
Finding seeds of inspiration in the stories of the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth-century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link spins classic fairy tales into utterly original stories of seekers—characters on the hunt for love, connection, revenge, or their own sense of purpose.
In “The White Cat’s Divorce,” an aging billionaire sends his three sons on a series of absurd goose chases to decide which child will become his heir. In “The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear,” a professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to her wife and young daughter, and in acute danger of being late for an appointment that cannot be missed. In “Skinder’s Veil,” a young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend. But what should be a chance to focus on his long-avoided dissertation instead becomes a wildly unexpected journey, as the house seems to be a portal for otherworldly travelers—or perhaps a door into his own mysterious psyche.
Twisting and turning in astonishing ways, expertly blending realism and the speculative, witty, empathetic, and never predictable—these stories remind us once again of why Kelly Link is incomparable in the realm of short fiction.
MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow Kelly Link is the author of The Book of Love: A Novel, and the collections Get in Trouble, Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, Pretty Monsters, and White Cat, Black Dog. She and Gavin J. Grant have co-edited a number of anthologies, including multiple volumes of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and, for young adults, Monstrous Affections. She is the co-founder of Small Beer Press. Her short stories have been published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Best American Short Stories, and Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. She has also received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Link was born in Miami, Florida. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in Northampton, Massachusetts.

CHQ Dialogues
2026-08-28 15:30 | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

CHQ Dialogues
2026-08-28 15:30 | Episcopal Cottage, Episcopal Cottage

CHQ Dialogues
2026-08-28 15:30 | Christian Science House

Two-Week Residency Open Studios at the Art Quad
2026-08-28 16:00 | CVA: Arts Quad

Taste Caravan
2026-08-28 16:30 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza
A moving feast of regional flavor. Taste Caravan transforms Bestor Plaza into a rotating showcase of the area’s most exciting restaurants and food trucks, offering guests the opportunity to sample 15–20 different regional establishments each week through thoughtfully prepared small bites.
Food trucks will be available:
Monday–Friday, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (Lunch)
Tuesday & Friday, 4:30–8:00 p.m. (Dinner)
Vendors rotate throughout the week, and all offer small bites so guests are encouraged to return often so they can explore the wide range of cuisines, cooking styles, flavors and culinary voices—all in one vibrant, walkable destination located just outside the Amphitheater in Bestor Plaza.
During each Taste Caravan lunch service, guests can enjoy a live culinary demonstration or discussion in the plaza, creating an immersive experience where learning, conversation, and flavor come together. Whether you’re grabbing a quick bite or lingering to sample multiple offerings, Taste Caravan invites you to taste broadly, learn deeply, and celebrate the diversity of our regional food community.
Food/Drink Tickets:
All food vendors only accept Food Festival tickets for payment. The Athenaeum Hotel Beverage Tent & Lounge will accept tickets, cash or card. Tickets can be purchased from one of the two information and ticket tents located within steps of the food vendors.
5 Pack of Tickets: $10
Food Vendor’s
Cheesy Chick
Roaming Bison
Over the Rainbow
Arly and Izzy’s
Charcuterie By Carrie
On the Fly
Chachys lemonades
Cups and Cones
Best of Buffalo by Byron

Kabbalat Shabbat Service
2026-08-28 17:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

TEN: Guest Chef Dinner - TBD
2026-08-28 17:30 | Athenaeum Parlor, Athenaeum Parlor
Join Sysco Chefs Brian Barcus & Joe Bucci for a tasting dinner. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with passed hors d’oeuvres with dinner seating at 6 p.m.
Brian Barcus is an enthusiastic and driven chef who loves all aspects of the food service industry. His two decades of experience in various food service outlets gives him an array of skills and techniques from many different cuisines. Born in raised in the Pittsburgh Area, his career started professionally, after completing the one-year program at The University of Indiana Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts. He is versed in large scale banquets, ala carte service, fine dining, special themed collaborative dinners, and farm fresh products from the area. He worked for a few of the finest chefs in the region at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, Oakmont Country Club, Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh to name a few. Brian shifted his professional focuses to the sales world, joining Sysco in July of ’22
Joe Bucci has been working in the food industry for over 25 years and has a fierce love affair with food. His culinary experience ranges from cooking pizzas in a wood-burning oven, to executing fine dining in a Michelin starred restaurant in Chicago, to representing the finest specialty food ingredients in the world right here in Western New York. It’s all been driven by his passion for making people happy through exceptional food.
Menu:
First: Antipasti – Golfetta, Caponata, Peppernata, Artichoke, Pecorino Pistachio, pull apart bread
Second: Hamachi Crudo, Pickled Watermelon, Sicilian Oli Cured Olive, Grapefruit, San Guiliano EVO
Third: Hand Cut Tagliatelle Pasta, Guanciale, Wild Mushroom, Truffle Bure Monte, Cured Egg Yolk
Fourth: Duck Breast with Roasted Peach, Braised Fennel, Argidolce, Duck Confit Potato Pave
Fifth: Dubai Chocolate Tart
Our Chef’s Tasting Menu is a thoughtfully curated experience that highlights the creative vision of our culinary teams. We are unable to accommodate modifications or dietary restrictions for this menu.

EPIC
2026-08-28 18:00, 2026-08-29 20:45, 2026-08-30 18:00, 2026-08-31 20:45 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Elvis sings and tells his story like never before in a new cinematic experience from visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann featuring new-found footage of his Las Vegas residency. “One of the most thrilling musical experiences you can have at a cinema.” -Barry Levitt, Empire Magazine “A visual spectacle, almost a hallucinatory physical experience. The sheer vibrancy of the restored footage is stunning.” -Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service “It’s as if Luhrmann were conducting a séance, awakening Elvis from the afterlife with a raw vitality and outsize energy that are rare even among the living.” -David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter (PG-13, 96m)

The Australian Pink Floyd Show
2026-08-28 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Selling over 4 million tickets worldwide and described by The Times as “The Gold Standard” and The Daily Mirror as “The Kings of the Genre,” The Australian Pink Floyd Show gave its first-ever concert in Adelaide, Australia in 1988. Since then, they have performed in over 35 countries worldwide; played at David Gilmour’s 50th birthday celebration and were even joined on stage by David Gilmour and Rick Wright. TAPFS is the leading show of its kind in the world.
Performing the music of Pink Floyd with note-for-note perfection, this critically acclaimed show has been astonishing audiences worldwide for more than three decades. Always striving to reproduce the complete Pink Floyd experience and bring the music to new audiences, the show continues to include a stunning light and laser show, video animations, state-of-the-art high-resolution LED screen technology, and other special effects.
In addition, and in true Pink Floyd fashion, there are several huge inflatables including a giant pig and their own unique Pink Kangaroo. They have worked with Pink Floyd touring musicians like Guy Pratt and Durga McBroom. Lorelei McBroom, who was a member of the Pink Floyd touring band on both the Momentary Lapse of Reason and Delicate Sound of Thunder tours, has been a member of TAPFS for over 15 years.
Often described as being much more than a tribute band, The Australian Pink Floyd Show is the first Pink Floyd tribute show that took the concept into the worldwide arena circuit. The band has played to sell-out audiences throughout Europe, the UK, America, Canada, and South America.
With over 35 years of history, the world’s biggest, best, and greatest Pink Floyd tribute show continues to delight its global fan base. From its humble origins in the bars and clubs of Adelaide, in recent years the band has become a truly international affair, with members from Australia, the UK, France, and the USA.

ELEANOR THE GREAT
2026-08-28 20:45, 2026-08-29 18:00, 2026-08-30 20:45, 2026-08-31 18:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
June Squibb brings to vivid life the witty and proudly troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, who after a devastating loss, tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own. Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut is a comically poignant exploration of how the stories we hear become the stories we tell. Co-stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Erin Kellyman. “A moving study of grief, loneliness and aging.” -G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle “A heartfelt, emotionally resonant story about the power of our lives and the capacity of our stories lingering on long after we’ve left this world. Take someone you love and see it.” -Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven (PG-13, 98m)

Food Donation Drop Off Outside Turner Community Center
2026-08-29 09:00 | Turner Lobby
Every Saturday during season the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative and Chautauqua Property Owners Association are collecting unopened non-perishable food items for donation to local food pantries. Outside front entrance of Turner Community Center. Help reduce waste and feed our neighbors in need.

Shabbat Service, Rabbi Zalman Vilenken
2026-08-29 09:30 | Chabad Jewish House

HOLD: Bob McClure Play Readers event
2026-08-29 10:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

Catholic Mass
2026-08-29 17:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Tower of Power
2026-08-29 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
For 58 years, Tower of Power has delivered the best in funk and soul music. “We were a Soul band called The Motowns,” recalls Emilio Castillo. “Rocco was the bass player, I was there, and my brother was the drummer. I met ‘Doc’ Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. He came in the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower of Power.” The reason for the band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind.
East Bay Grease defined their sound and landed them with Warner Brothers. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart, and netted them the hits “You’re Still A Young Man” and “Down to The Nightclub.” The 70s were a boom period with radio classics like “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?,” and the band continued to tour and record over the years. Castillo says their love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968.
Fifty years later, in 2018, they returned to Oakland to celebrate their landmark 50th anniversary. Tower’s window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit has been a balm for the soul throughout their half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing legendary artists including Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. In the process they’ve defined an “Oakland soul” sound as instantly recognizable as those from Castillo’s hometown, Detroit, as well as inspirations like Memphis and Philadelphia.
The future of Tower of Power is set out to be vigorous and dynamic, and will prove to be just that for fans around the world starved for the band’s groove just the way Tower of Power likes it!

Episcopal Holy Eucharist
2026-08-30 07:45, 2026-08-30 09:00 | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd

Song, Prayer, Communion & Meditation.
2026-08-30 08:30 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

United Church of Christ Worship Service
2026-08-30 09:00 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

Catholic Mass
2026-08-30 09:30 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

Unity Service
2026-08-30 09:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

Quaker Worship Service
2026-08-30 09:30 | Quaker House

Unitarian Universalist Service
2026-08-30 09:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
2026-08-30 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton is the senior pastor of Chautauqua Institution. Formerly the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland and Canon Pastor of Washington National Cathedral, where he directed the Cathedral’s Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, Sutton has also served as a college chaplain, parish priest, and professor of homiletics and liturgy at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Sutton is a frequent leader of retreats focused on spirituality, nonviolence, and social justice, including multiple missions to South Africa. He co-founded Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, an ecumenical network of churches and individuals committed to centering prayer and renewing the contemplative gospel for daily living.
Sutton is a prolific writer, and has contributed to multiple books, including The Diversity of Centering Prayer and Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace: Challenging the Epidemic of Gun Violence. Bishop Sutton has been named by the Center for American Progress as one of “Fourteen Faith Leaders to Watch” for his faith-led efforts to promote nonviolent solutions to conflicts.
Sutton is a prolific writer, and has contributed to multiple books, including The Diversity of Centering Prayer and Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace: Challenging the Epidemic of Gun Violence. Bishop Sutton has been named by the Center for American Progress as one of “Fourteen Faith Leaders to Watch” for his faith-led efforts to promote nonviolent solutions to conflicts.

Obon Community Celebration
2026-08-30 15:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza
Free for all
Gather in Bestor Plaza for a vibrant, one-hour celebration inspired by Obon, the Japanese tradition of honoring ancestors through dance, music, remembrance, and community. Led by 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellow Adrienne Reiko Iwanaga, one of the nation’s foremost Bon Odori teachers, and featuring reflections from Buddhist scholar George Tanabe and the powerful rhythms of New York City’s Soh Daiko, this joyful gathering invites everyone to join in traditional community dances regardless of age or experience.
With lanterns, fans, taiko drumming, and Japanese treats, we’ll celebrate the ties that bind us across generations. As we conclude Chautauqua’s Summer Assembly and reflect on America’s 250th anniversary, let us close the season with gratitude, joy, and the enduring spirit of togetherness.
In partnership with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

CHQ Mystic Heart -Church of the Wild -Family Friendly
2026-08-30 16:00 | Outdoor Classroom
Kriss Young Miller and her husband Gary manage the Quaker House. Kriss is a 2022 graduate of Earlham School of Religion with her Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation. Kriss is currently a student of Victoria Loorz in the Seminary of the Wild Earth at the Center for Wild Spirituality. She has completed Wild Church Leadership training and is deeply grateful for the opportunity to work to build connections with Chautauquans in the sacred wild.

Hebrew Congregation, Shirley Lazarus Sunday Evening Lecture Series
2026-08-30 19:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

Sacred Song Service and Closing Three Taps
2026-08-30 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Indigo Girls
2026-09-10 19:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Released in 1989, Indigo Girls’ eponymous major label debut sold over two million copies under the power of singles “Closer to Fine” and “Kid Fears” and turned Indigo Girls into one of the most successful folk duos in history. Over a thirty-five-year career that began in clubs around their native Atlanta, Georgia, the multi-Grammy-winning duo of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray has recorded sixteen studio albums, sold over 15 million records, and built a dedicated, enduring following across the globe. Rolling Stone describes them as the “ideal duet partners.” Committed and uncompromising activists, they work on issues like immigration reform (El Refugio), LGBTQ advocacy, education (Imagination Library), death penalty reform, and Native American rights. They are co-founders of Honor the Earth, a non-profit dedicated to the survival of sustainable Native communities, Indigenous environmental justice, and green energy solutions.
Their latest record, Look Long is a stirring and eclectic collection of songs that finds the duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers reunited in the studio with their strongest backing band to date. “We joke about being old, but what is old when it comes to music? We’re still a bar band at heart,” says Saliers. “While our lyrics and writing approach may change, our passion for music feels the same as it did when we were 25-years-old.” “As time has gone on, our audience has become more expansive and diverse, giving me a sense of joy,” she adds. To hear those collective voices raise into one, singing along and overpowering the band itself, one realizes the importance Indigo Girls’ music has in this moment. In our often-terrifying present, we are all in search of a daily refuge, a stolen hour or two, to engage with something that brings us joy, perspective, or maybe just calm. As one bar band once put it, “We go to the doctor, we go to the mountains…we go to the Bible, we go through the work out.” For millions, they go to the Indigo Girls. On Look Long they’ll find a creative partnership certain of its bearings, forging a way forward.

Opening Three Taps
2027-06-27 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Islam 101: Khalid and Sabeeha Rehman
2027-07-19 15:30, 2027-07-26 15:30, 2027-08-02 15:30, 2027-08-09 15:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
