Week Nine: August 22–30, 2026
Every summer Chautauqua Institution welcomes over 100,000 visitors, to celebrate community and prioritize personal growth. Many travel here to relax, renew and recharge on the shores of Chautauqua Lake. Join us and see for yourself why Chautauqua was, and continues to be, a cherished destination. Keep scrolling to explore Week Nine’s Theme: The Importance of Gathering: A Collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival .
Featured Entertainment and Events
Silkroad Ensemble featuring Rhiannon Giddens
August 22
Samara Joy
August 26
Reimagined Food Festival
Week Nine
Chautauqua Lecture Series
The Importance of Gathering: A Collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
For more than 150 years, the essence of Chautauqua, the most fulsome expression of its mission and work, has been a stretch of summertime in which thousands of people gather on our verdant, rural 220-acre grounds. These folks gather to learn, to feel, to pray, to play, and much more — and each of these experiences is made all the more rich because they are experienced together. This week, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Chautauqua investigates and celebrates togetherness as a critical component of what it means to be human. Why is it so important that we remember, harmonize, move and grow together? The week serves as a capstone of sorts to the Festival’s supersized commemoration of America’s semiquincentennial, which is based on those themes of togetherness. We’ll close our time together — capping both this week and the 2026 Summer Assembly — with a joy-filled celebration inspired by Obon, the Buddhist “Festival of Lanterns.”
Confirmed Lectures
Interfaith Lecture Series
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements
Weekly Chaplain
Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J.
Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., is a Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries. Based in Los Angeles, the organization is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.
Explore Performing and Visual Arts
The arts can sometimes bridge differences and illuminate perspectives as no other method can. Artistic expressions at Chautauqua — including professional and pre-professional offerings in classical and contemporary music, theater, opera, dance, visual arts and literary arts — aim to inspire, educate, entertain and engage a diverse and growing audience.
Places to Stay
If you love the events you see in Week Nine, ensure you have accommodations. Space on the ground is limited, and accommodations go fast find reservations at the Hotel or Private Accommodations.
Dining & Shopping
Make your Chautauqua experience memorable! Share a delicious meal at one of our many restaurants. Or take piece of Chautauqua home with you from our unique shops.