Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival Returns October 3 with Projection-Mapped Art on Historic Hangars
On Saturday, October 3, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) will present the second biennial Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival, a free evening of art, community, and projection-mapped storytelling at Floyd Bennett Field, New York City’s first municipal airport, now part of Gateway National Recreation Area.
As the sun sets, the monumental brick-and-glass façade of historic Hangars 3 & 4 will become a massive outdoor canvas for 15 newly commissioned artworks by 21 contemporary artists, brought to life through projection mapping, animation, light, sound, and storytelling. Presenting artists include Derrick Adams, Randy Polumbo, Wills Glasspiegel, LaJuné McMillian, Ryan Hartley Smith, and others.
The Festival offers a playful take on “dinner and a show.” Attendees should bring their own picnic dinner (food will not be sold onsite) and settle in on the Hangar Lawn, or as part of The Longest Table, a communal dining experience designed to bring festivalgoers together before the evening’s projections begin.
The Festival centers on Hangars 3 & 4, historic Art Deco structures undergoing rehabilitation and adaptive reuse as part of a $100 million partnership project between the National Park Service and JBRPC to create new opportunities for arts, education, workforce development, research and innovation, and visitor services at Floyd Bennett Field.
The Festival will also mark the public launch of Fifty for Floyd Bennett Field, JBRPC’s campaign to build public support for this $100 million investment in park reactivation. The campaign invites everyone to contribute $50 —or whatever they can, from $5 to $500 and beyond— to help make the vision for these historic hangars a reality.
“The Public Arts Festival is an important part of how JBRPC and the National Park Service are telling the story of Floyd Bennett Field and building excitement for its future,” said Terri Carta, Executive Director of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. “We want more people to know this extraordinary place and understand its history, take advantage of its unparalleled recreational opportunities, and be part of building its future.” Carta added, “We’re excited to present the Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival as a spectacular way to bring people into the story of Hangars 3 & 4. Through large-scale, site-specific artworks projected onto the historic hangars, artists are transforming these remarkable structures into a canvas for creativity, storytelling, and imagination.”
”National parks have been called America’s greatest idea, and public art has a unique ability to invite people to experience them in new ways,” said Tom Secunda, Chairman of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. “That’s especially powerful here at Floyd Bennett Field, where art, history, and this extraordinary national park landscape come together. Through partnership and investment, we are making this remarkable place more accessible and meaningful to present and future generations. The Public Arts Festival offers a glimpse of what that can look like.”
Floyd Bennett Field is situated along the shores of Jamaica Bay in southeastern Brooklyn, at the southern end of Flatbush Avenue between Marine Park and Jacob Riis Park. As New York City’s first municipal airport, Floyd Bennett Field holds an important place in aviation history. The site was named for Floyd Bennett, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the first flight over the North Pole in 1926. He was among the many pioneering aviators who contributed to the field’s legacy as a center for experimental aviation and record-breaking attempts in speed and distance, including Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, and Douglas Corrigan. In 1972, Floyd Bennett Field became part of Gateway National Recreation Area, the first unit of the National Park System specifically designated to be within easy reach of urban residents.
“The Public Arts Festival celebrates Gateway National Recreation Area as a place where millions of New Yorkers and visitors can experience a national park in an urban setting,” said Minka Sendich, Acting Superintendent of Gateway National Recreation Area. “We are proud to partner with the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy to bring this unique event to Floyd Bennett Field. The Festival will showcase contemporary digital art against the backdrop of this nationally significant site of aviation history, while building excitement for the anticipated rehabilitation and reactivation of historic Hangars 3 and 4.”
The Festival will showcase 21 presenting artists: Derrick Adams, DJ Manny, Iris Du, She’s Excited!, John Fitzgerald, Wills Glasspiegel, Ryan Hartley Smith, Shannon Kavanagh, Becs Lee, Chengxin Liang, Matt McCorkle, LaJuné McMillian, Camila A. Morales, Armon Naeini, /p, Chloe Pitkoff, Randy Polumbo, Daniel Tetreault, Anke Schiemann, Dave Smoota Smith, and Brendan Winick.
“As the founding operator of NYC Ferry, Hornblower is proud to partner with the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy to connect New Yorkers to exciting, informative, and impactful public programming, including the 2026 Public Arts Festival that will combine digital art with local history for a one-of-a-kind New York City experience in Rockaway," said Jeffery Brault, VP of Global Public Affairs at Hornblower Group, operator of NYC Ferry
"True community investment is about creating sustainable, inclusive spaces where culture and connection thrive. JBRPC’s Public Arts Festival brings that mission to life by turning an iconic historic site into a welcoming gathering place for all New Yorkers. 7G Group is thrilled to support this visionary celebration under the stars at Floyd Bennett Field," said Michi Jigarjian, Managing Partner at 7G Group
The Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival is presented by Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the National Park Service at Gateway National Recreation Area, with major support provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Secunda Family Foundation. Additional Festival support was generously provided by 7G Group, 1014 Inc., NYC Ferry (operated by Hornblower), and Williams. The Rockaway Times is the official media sponsor. ATD Audio Visual is the technical partner. The Longest Table is the community dinner partner. The Festival is one of several JBRPC public engagement and stewardship initiatives that receive public funding support through the offices of NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin; Council Members Joann Ariola, Selvena Brooks-Powers, and Mercedes Narcisse; NY Assemblymembers Stacey Pheffer Amato and Jaime R. Williams; and NY Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. Major support for expanded Education initiatives at Floyd Bennett Field, including the Public Arts Festival, was provided by United States Senator Chuck Schumer.