Brooklyn’s historic Floyd Bennett Field is getting a new coat of light. On Saturday, October 3, 2026, the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy hosts the second biennial Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival, and this time the centerpiece is a massive projection-mapping installation on the art-deco facades of two enormous airplane hangars.
The festival brings together 21 artists, and 15 of them have created new works specifically for this event. The hangar walls total 8,640 square feet, and each one will be covered with animation, light and digital storytelling. The festival is free and open to all.
Hangars and Their History
Floyd Bennett Field was New York City’s first municipal airport, and the two hangars are central to the site’s identity. The conservancy describes them as being “currently being revitalized for new uses and future generations.” For one night, those art-deco facades become the canvas.
The projection-mapping technique projects video directly onto the building’s surface, turning the structure itself into a moving image. That means the architecture becomes the artwork, with the history of the place visible in every frame.
The Artist Lineup
The lineup includes some serious names. Derrick Adams, Randy Polumbo, Wills Glasspiegel, LaJuné McMillian and Ryan Hartley Smith are all part of the group.
The themes of the artworks are rooted in water, nature and innovation. They explore Floyd Bennett Field’s deep connection to the waterfront, a defining element of the site’s prominence in Jamaica Bay and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean – a stretch of New York City coastline where imagination and innovation have always converged.
What the Event Includes
The festival runs as a single day of events. The hangar projections are the main attraction, but the event also includes live music.
As one of NYC’s largest outdoor projection-mapped art events, the festival draws a diverse audience from across the city and the region. The combination of art and music make it a destination for families and art lovers alike.
The Revitalization Effort
The project is part of a broader effort to revitalize the site. The hangars are being restored for future use, and this festival shows what those buildings can be when they are treated as living structures rather than static ones.
Key Facts
| Date | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| October 3, 2026 | Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn | Second biennial Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival |
- Artists: 21 in total, 15 with newly-commissioned works
- Hangar facade area: 8,640 square feet
- Artists named: Derrick Adams, Randy Polumbo, Wills Glasspiegel, LaJuné McMillian, Ryan Hartley Smith
- Organizer: Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy
The festival is a reminder that historic sites don’t have to be static. With the right technology and the right artists, they can become dynamic spaces for community and culture. The hangars at Floyd Bennett Field will glow for one night.
Source material: “Derrick Adams, Randy Polumbo, Wills Glasspiegel & More Artists Project Newly-Commissioned Works Onto Historic Hangars in Brooklyn,” Hyperallergic.
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