Floyd Bennett Field Public Arts Festival Returns With 15 New Projection Works

A Historic Site, Reimagined in Light

The Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival will return on Saturday, October 3, 2026, transforming New York City's first airport into an immersive celebration of art, community and the landscape of Jamaica Bay. The second biennial edition is organized by the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy and gathers 21 artists.

The centerpiece is a set of 15 new works projection-mapped onto the 8,640-square-foot façade of two monumental airplane hangars. Derrick Adams, Randy Polumbo, Wills Glasspiegel, LaJuné McMillian and Ryan Hartley Smith are among the artists bringing new commissions to the site.

Water, Nature and Innovation

The commissions are rooted in themes of water, nature and innovation. Organizers describe the works as exploring Floyd Bennett Field's connection to the waterfront — a defining element of its prominence in Jamaica Bay and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, a stretch of New York City coastline where, in the festival's framing, imagination and innovation have always converged.

The hangars themselves are currently being revitalized for new uses and future generations. For one night, their art-deco façades become animated surfaces for light, movement and digital storytelling — a dynamic interplay between past and present, with historic buildings transformed, reimagined and seen in an entirely new light.

Scale and Access

Positioned as one of New York City's largest outdoor projection-mapped art events, the festival draws a diverse audience from the city and the wider region for a night of art, live music and the natural beauty of the park. Admission is free and open to all.

Fifteen newly commissioned works will be projection-mapped across the 8,640-square-foot façades of two historic airplane hangars for a single night.

The Biennial Model

The festival's return marks a second biennial edition, extending a format that pairs large-scale digital commissions with a public park setting. The 21 participating artists and 15 new works represent the scale at which the Conservancy is staging the program in 2026.

For audiences and cultural institutions watching how public art commissions intersect with heritage infrastructure, the festival offers a case study in temporary, site-specific programming tied to the ongoing revitalization of the hangars.

What to Watch

With the date set for October 3, 2026, the festival will once again activate Floyd Bennett Field for a single evening, placing newly commissioned art against the backdrop of Jamaica Bay. Further information is available through the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy.