WIRE FESTIVAL returns to Knockdown Center for its third edition, May 16-19. Expanding its scope, the festival runs over the course of three days, from Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th, with Thursday the 16th devoted to evening talks in collaboration with Resident Advisor. WIRE continues its run of inviting some of techno’s most essential and groundbreaking artists alongside cutting edge crews. Stage 1, located in the Main Hall, serves as a centerpiece for the festival’s programming. Stage 2 has always been notorious for these takeovers. This year, WIRE invites two European collectives who are defining techno in 2024: Berlin’s queer renegades Mala Junta and Amsterdam’s long-running Vault Sessions. A major addition this year is an outdoor house stage that runs all day Sunday, bringing a new dimension to the weekend. The Ambient Stage will return as well with bespoke programming from some of NY’s most versatile and exciting DJs. French lighting collective Collectif Scale flies over from Paris to install a custom fixture near Stage 2, and Studio GumGum presents a new work in the structure above the Ambient Stage.

Italians Do It Better presents: Johnny Jewel’s 50th birtday party at Knockdown Center.