Project Healthy Minds

‍

In October 2025, Project Healthy Minds turned Spring Studios in Tribeca into a two-part mental health festival in New York: a high-profile gala on October 9, followed by a full-day World Mental Health Day Festival on October 10. Together, they used star power and thoughtful programming to raise awareness, resources, and real conversations around mental health in a digital age.

For readers searching for a mental health festival in New York, this event at Spring Studios shows how a venue known for fashion and media can become a platform for culture-shifting dialogue on well-being.

A mental health festival in the heart of New York City

For two days, Spring Studios became a hub dedicated to mental health. The first night was designed as a highly visible cultural moment: a gala hosted by Carson Daly that brought together leaders from media, culture, business, and philanthropy. The following day, the same building shifted into a convening space, with talks, panels, and conversations happening across multiple rooms and floors, including spaces like the ground-floor Gallery and the rooftop Roof.

Placing this mental health festival in New York was strategic. The city sits at the crossroads of media, tech, culture, and policy. By bringing mental health into this ecosystem, and into a creative environment like Spring Studios New York, Project Healthy Minds underlined that it is not a niche issue reserved for clinics and specialists. It is a topic that shapes how we work, relate, and show up in the world – and it deserves the same level of production, attention, and creativity as any major cultural event.

A gala designed to build cultural momentum

On October 9, the gala set the tone. Hosted by Carson Daly, the evening moved between live performances, speeches, and moments of recognition, including a performance by Lukas Graham.

The headline guests were Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, honored as “Humanitarians of the Year” for their work on online safety through Archewell. Their presence made the core theme tangible: our online lives have real consequences for mental health, especially for young people and vulnerable communities. Highlighting their advocacy placed digital well-being at the center of the evening.

Project Healthy Minds founder Phil Schermer framed the night with a clear mission: close the gap between people and care, make it easier to find support, and bring mental health into mainstream culture. The gala was there to create momentum, visibility, and a powerful narrative that mental health belongs at the center of public life.

From celebration to solutions: the World Mental Health Day Festival

The next day, on October 10, Spring Studios flipped into the World Mental Health Day Festival. This was the heart of the mental health festival in New York: a full day of programming designed to move from emotion to action.

Talks and panels featured voices from psychology, media, technology, business, and culture. The 2025 slate included moderator Kathryn VanArendonk, clinical psychologist and author Dr. Becky Kennedy, comedians Michael Kosta and Rosebud Baker, and thought-leader Deepak Chopra, among others. The mix of profiles made it possible to look at mental health from many angles: family life, social media pressure, workplace culture, comedy as a way to talk about difficult topics, and the future of care.

By weaving these conversations through a festival format, Project Healthy Minds encouraged people not just to listen, but to engage, ask questions, and connect with resources. The goal was to ensure that attendees left with tools, ideas, and a deeper sense that mental health is a shared responsibility.

Why Spring Studios was the right home for this festival

Hosting the mental health festival in New York at Spring Studios sent a strong message. Known for fashion shows, brand campaigns, and high-production cultural events, the venue positioned mental health alongside the industries that shape trends and conversations.

The flexibility of the spaces allowed a glamorous gala one night and a full building of talks the next day, drawing on the Gallery, the South Mezzanine and Studio X to host different formats. For Project Healthy Minds, it was also about symbolism: when mental health is discussed on the same stages as major brands and creative icons, it signals that this topic is central to how we imagine the future.

Turning awareness into lasting impact

Beyond the programming, the purpose of these two days was to support Project Healthy Minds’ wider mission: raising resources, driving awareness of the mental health impact of our online world, and normalizing help-seeking.

By bringing together high-profile guests, experts, journalists, and cross-sector leaders, the mental health festival in New York created a powerful multiplier effect. Night one generated attention and cultural heat; day two channeled that energy into substance, with ideas, policy conversations, and culture-shifting dialogue.

In doing so, the event showed what it looks like when mental health is not an afterthought, but the main story – staged in a place built for memorable experiences and shared with an audience that can carry that story forward. For brands and organizations interested in similar programs, the contact page makes it easy to start a conversation with the Spring team.

Key Facts

• Dates: October 9–10, 2025
  
  
• Location: Spring Studios, Tribeca, New York City
  
  
• Organizer: Project Healthy Minds
  
  
• Format: evening gala + World Mental Health Day Festival
  
  
• Host and headline guests: Carson Daly; Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
  
  
• Performances and voices: Lukas Graham, Phil Schermer, Kathryn VanArendonk, Dr. Becky Kennedy, Michael Kosta, Rosebud Baker, Deepak Chopra
  
  
• Purpose: raise resources and awareness, spotlight digital life’s impact on mental health, and close the gap between people and care
  
  

FAQ

What is the mental health festival in New York at Spring Studios?
It is a two-part event created by Project Healthy Minds, combining a high-profile gala and a World Mental Health Day Festival at Spring Studios in Tribeca, focused on celebrating and advancing conversations around mental health.

When and where did the festival take place?
The gala took place on October 9, 2025, followed by the festival on October 10, at Spring Studios in New York City.

Who organized the event?
Project Healthy Minds produced the event, with Spring Studios providing the venue and production environment for both the gala and the festival.

Who were some of the key guests and speakers?
Carson Daly hosted the gala, with Prince Harry and Meghan recognized as “Humanitarians of the Year.” The program also featured Lukas Graham, Phil Schermer, Kathryn VanArendonk, Dr. Becky Kennedy, Michael Kosta, Rosebud Baker, and Deepak Chopra.

What was the main goal of the festival?
The goal was to turn visibility around World Mental Health Day into real impact: raising resources, normalizing conversations about mental health, and connecting people with ideas and solutions, especially around the mental health effects of our digital lives.