The DUMBO Arts Festival is the single largest free art event in New York City, bringing innovative and challenging artwork to a diverse audience and providing a career-making platform for artists from around the world.

Founded in 1997 as the Art Under the Bridge Festival, the three-day happening was initially established as a grass roots artists' initiative. Taking advantage of the unique urban landscape and high density of artist studios in DUMBO, Brooklyn, the first Art Under the Bridge Festival included open studios, live music and dance performances, and an art parade.

Now in its eighteenth year, the DUMBO Arts Festival stays true to its roots, presenting performance, projections, and sculptural interventions in the streets, along with gallery exhibitions and open studios.