IngenuityFest 2025 Guide: Forging the Future

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Join 216 Scoop at IngenuityFest: The city’s biggest celebration of art and technology returns Sept. 26-28 with a big, bold theme, Forging the Future.

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We’ll be at the event sharing photos and videos of the festival on Instagram.

Since 2004, IngenuityFest has been cornerstone of the city's vibrant cultural scene, fusing art, technology and heritage into an electrifying weekend of creativity and innovation.

Last year’s event drew more than 20,000 curious Clevelanders to Ingenuity Labs, the home of IngenuityFest at 5401 Hamilton Avenue, Cleveland.

Forging The Future celebrates Cleveland’s deep industrial roots while casting a bold eye toward tomorrow with interactive art, hands-on demonstrations, immersive installations  and unforgettable performances.

“We’re returning to hands-on tech like welding and metal working and glass blowing so expect a lot of sparks flying. The theme is about celebrating our industrial heritage and connecting it to the trajectory of innovation in town” -- Ingenuity Executive Director Emily Appelbaum. 

Ingenuity’s six stages will host dozens of experimental, electronic, rock, R&B, roots and hip-hip acts and DJs, dancers, acrobats and performers. Its interactive rooms allow attendees to absorb waves of sound and lights and interact with old- and new-tech activities.

Immersive rooms filled with experimental soundscapes and light installations offer sensory adventures, while street dance battles, aerial acrobatics and regional touring performances add high-energy spectacle to the mix. 

Festival Villages include returning favorites like the sustainability-focused IndusTREE Alley and Mechanique Biotique, the immersive Dream Destinations and Makers Mecca, showcasing local artisans and entrepreneurs.

TESSERACT STAGE: Juana, the pioneering techno DJ who got her start spinning in Chicago’s underground clubs and warehouses, headlines the Tesseract Stage. It also features DJ sets by BRAND, Chris Eff, Justin Hartman, JohnDoethe1 and Lo-Fila – and a violin and vocals performance by Manow Violin with Abbey Studor. Visual artist Kevin Jackson provides live projections.

STEAMSHOP: The new Ingenuity space features large-scale light-and-sound immersive sculptures by animation and inflatable artist Xacto Mundo and multimedia artist Ed Morra. 

GAZELLE DASTI: The international installation artist and engineer debuts “NewClear Neural.”  The audience-participatory sculpture invites guests to step inside an 18-foot stainless steel human bust, driving an LED light array in the cranium by a people-powered merry-go-round.

SMOKE & MIRRORS: Brian Gesler’s installation invites guests into a larger-than-life board game with human-scaled playing pieces challenging teams to navigate a maze with lasers.

DREAMSHOP: Curated by Rebecca Groth, it features experimental performances from Japanese dance-theater form butoh and modern dance to one-woman shows.

HIT & RUN FUN: Rollerskating & Bumper Cars from Rollin’ Buckeyez Foundation are a blast for any age. Just do it.

EAR TO THE GROUND: Visiting researcher and cultural strategist Naomi Lord’s fully immersive listening project challenges visitors to engage with complex dialogue which celebrate the arts as agents of cultural understanding

THE TESLA COILS: There’s electricity in the air for every time the dancing currents take the stage at Ingenuity.

MAKERS MECCA: The artisan village showcases some of Cleveland’s most unique creators.

The festival kicks off Friday evening (6 p.m. to 1 a.m.) and runs through the weekend, with Saturday offering full-day access from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday wrapping up from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Regular day passes are $15 and weekend passes are $25.

Don’t forget! Tag @The216Scoop on Facebook & @scoopcle on Instagram to get your photos in the Scoop!

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