Fifteen years after transforming shipping containers in Brooklyn Bridge Park into galleries for photographers around the world, Photoville is returning bigger than ever.
The nonprofit photography organization announced that the 2026 Photoville Festival will run May 16-30, bringing more than 85 free exhibitions and public programs to parks, plazas and public spaces across all five boroughs. Once again anchored in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the annual festival has grown into one of the country’s largest photography events, drawing in more than one million visitors in 2025 alone.
Founded in 2011 by Laura Roumanos, Sam Barzilay and Dave Shelley, Photoville began with a mission “to identify, harness and conjure unexpected exhibition opportunities, champion new directions in photography and cultivate ties within an ever-expanding, globe-trotting community of photographers.”
The once experimental outdoor gallery in Brooklyn has evolved into a citywide showcase of visual storytelling, featuring photographers ranging from students to Pulitzer Prize winners.
Festival Producer Suchan Vodoor said the milestone anniversary remains grounded in accessibility and community.
“We really want everyone to feel welcome at Photoville — whether you’ve been part of our community for the last 15 years, or you’re encountering us for the first time on a stroll through the park. Everyone is invited.”
This year’s festival will open with “Boroughs in Focus” on May 16 — a showcase selected from open submissions depicting the five boroughs through the lens of 25 photographers. The opening night event launches a free community weekend celebration in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, featuring more than 65 exhibitions, family-friendly programming and food vendors from Smorgasborg.
Photoville Co-Founder Laura Roumanos reflected on the organization’s growth over the last decade and a half.
“Fifteen years ago when we started Photoville, all we wanted was a space where everyone felt welcome,” she said. “Now, after thousands of collaborations with visual storytellers and countless exhibitions, we’ve built exactly that: a festival that champions photography and connects photographers with a huge, passionate audience they wouldn’t reach otherwise.”
Installations will appear in locations including Dumbo Archway Plaza, Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem, Barretto Point Park in the Bronx, Astoria Park in Queens and Staten Island’s South Beach Promenade.
Photoville’s exhibitions span topics from environmental justice, war, identity, music, incarceration, New York histories and more. Photo exhibits also span the globe, from Ukraine and Syria to Los Angeles and the Arkansas Ozarks.
Among the featured exhibitions are Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Salwan Georges’ “The Syria I Found Again,” documenting his return to Syria after years away following the Syrian Civil War; “Landing,” by Maen Hammad, focusing on Palestinian skateboarders; and “Wild Hope: Rethinking Our Relationship with Nature,” where photographer Ami Vitale highlights wildlife conservation efforts and those who spearhead them.
In addition to exhibitions, Photoville will host professional development workshops with VSCO and Diversify Photo, and offer free educational field trips for New York City students, supported by PhotoWings. The organization will also present “Bridging Generations,” a collaborative storytelling initiative pairing 12 high school students with 12 elders to preserve “oral histories and family photographs.”
Photoville’s lead marquee partner this year is VSCO, alongside support from Brooklyn Bridge Park, NYC Parks, Leica, PhotoWings and numerous arts and cultural organizations throughout the city.
Photoville Festival 2026 runs May 16-30 across New York City. Admission to all exhibitions and public programming is free. More information is available at Photoville’s official website.
