Atlantic Festival 2026 adds Zoe Kazan, Colin Kaepernick and Padma Lakshmi

The 2026 Atlantic Festival has added Zoe Kazan, Colin Kaepernick and Padma Lakshmi to its lineup, with the event scheduled to take place in New York from Sept. 17 to 19.

The festival will feature a first look at Netflix’s East of Eden limited series, a modern adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel. The series follows the multigenerational Trask family while giving greater attention to Cathy Ames. The preview will be followed by a conversation with co-showrunner, writer and executive producer Zoe Kazan, star and executive producer Florence Pugh, and Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick will participate in a discussion with journalist Jemele Hill about his upcoming memoir, The Perilous Fight. Padma Lakshmi is also scheduled to speak about the future of creative work.

Additional conversations will feature filmmaker Richard Linklater, actor Ben McKenzie and author Malcolm Gladwell. The Atlantic Festival will also host a discussion on press freedom featuring New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg and PBS NewsHour co-anchor Amna Nawaz.

The festival’s political programming will include Senator Mark Kelly in conversation with Atlantic writer Mark Leibovich and former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who will be interviewed by MS NOW anchor Stephanie Ruhle.

Previously announced participants include Pete Buttigieg, Rahm Emanuel, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Andrew Card, Karl Rove, Emily Wilson, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

The 2026 Atlantic Festival will also screen the PBS docuseries Crime and Punishment and Josh Greenbaum’s Playing POTUS. Opening night will feature A Soundtrack of a Nation, created with Juilliard, composer Nicholas Britell, Michelle Dorrance and Davóne Tines.

The event will be held at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York.