BAM's fall Next Wave Festival is a showcase for contemporary performance. Founded in 1983 by pioneering BAM President and Executive Producer Harvey Lichtenstein, the Next Wave Festival began presenting exciting new works by known and emerging artists. The festival grew quickly in prestige, artistic scope, and geographical reach into today's vibrant festival.

Next Wave performances are often collaborations by artists of varied disciplines—choreographers, composers, musicians, theater directors, playwrights, visual artists, and videographers. Current Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo, who was the producing director of the first Next Wave, continues to program the festival with adventurous artists–both emerging and established, local and international.