As the sun sets on New York City’s annual design celebration, Dumbo will take center stage.

On Wednesday, May 21 — the final day of the 13th annual NYCxDESIGN Festival — the waterfront neighborhood will be officially recognized as a New York City Design District, joining a growing list of creative hubs across the five boroughs.

The designation highlights Dumbo’s role in shaping the city’s design identity and comes as the NYCxDESIGN Festival transforms New York into a global design destination from May 15–21. The weeklong event features more than 20 programs, including studio tours, panels, grand openings, book signings, a walking tour of indie design shops, and nighttime art projections on the Manhattan Bridge. TheDUMBOxDesign closing party will wrap the festivities.

Participating companies include Henrybuilt, Mark Jupiter, Hudson Wilder, Pensa, ZAROLAT, Post Company, Reform, BIG, M Collection, JAM Architecture, Snøhetta, Mammoth Design, Block Renovation and others.

This year’s theme, “Design is for Everyone,” reflects the festival’s ongoing focus on inclusivity and accessibility in the design world.

“Dumbo has earned its new title,” said Ilene Shaw, executive director of NYCxDESIGN. “While the former industrial hub has long been attracting architecture and design creatives and artists, there has been a significant uptick in activity in recent years that has not gone unnoticed. So many firms based in the neighborhood will be opening their doors on DUMBOxDesign Day to make the celebration more special than ever.”

Once an industrial waterfront, Dumbo is now home to more than 150 architecture and design firms — giving it what may be the highest concentration of designers in any New York City neighborhood.

“While the neighborhood’s reputation as a creative hub dates back to its industrial roots, in recent years we have seen a significant increase in architecture and design studios joining this creative community, and we are proud to see the new culmination of activity resulting in Dumbo’s official recognition as a design district,” said Jed Walentas, Principal of Two Trees Management. “The NYCxDESIGN Festival and DUMBOxDesign Day will showcase our city’s extraordinary creative talent and celebrate a community integral to New York City’s cultural landscape.”

Founded by the City of New York, NYCxDESIGN aims to spotlight the city’s vibrant design community on a global stage. Past festivals have drawn an average of 160,000 attendees and featured more than 1,000 participating designers. This year, the spotlight is on Brooklyn, with the debut of DUMBOxDesign Day and a range of programs celebrating the borough’s creative talent.

“[Dumbo] has a unique flavor that I think you can only find in a few neighborhoods in New York, which is this sort of glimpse into the best parts of the past in New York, while also still looking forward,” said Joseph McGuier, co-principal of JAM Architecture. “It is that sort of combination of history and progress that I love, and it is a beautiful neighborhood.”

Summer has arrived in New York City — unofficially, at least — and Brooklyn’s beaches will open for swimming on Saturday, May 24.

Lifeguards will take their stands at Coney Island beach, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach at 10 a.m. that day, and the beaches will be open for swimming 10 a.m.-6 p.m. every day until Sept. 7. 

For Brooklynites who want to start the summer with a bang but aren’t sure where to go, Brooklyn Paper created the Beach Vibe Guide, which breaks down the pros and cons of each Kings County beach. 

The weather is set to be fair, if a little cool for a beach day. Saturday and Sunday are both expected to be partly cloudy, with a high of 68 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday and 72 degrees on Sunday. 

While lifeguards will be on duty, the seas are likely a little too cold for casual swimmers, with ocean temps hovering around 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Regulars of the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge, though, will have no issue braving the chilly waves.

It’s not clear, though, if all of Brooklyn’s beaches will be fully open for swimming on Saturday. The city has been dealing with a lifeguard shortage for years, and last summer was forced to close sections of some beaches it was unable to staff.  

“As with every year, visitors may see sections of beach closed off for swimming/capacity restrictions based on daily lifeguard staffing,” a Parks Department spokesperson told Brooklyn Paper. “Our goal is always to accommodate as much swimming space as possible.”

Last year, the city reached an agreement with the lifeguards’ union to ease some of the strict requirements for new lifeguards and agreed to increase pay to $22 per hour in an effort to relieve the shortage. 

At a press conference on May 20, Mayor Eric Adams said the city’s goal is “not to” close the city’s beaches and pools, but said he didn’t have the exact number of lifeguards employed by the parks department this year. City Hall will release the numbers “on Friday,” he said. 

“I don’t believe there’s any real issues that we are facing,” he said. 

Finding fun off the sand

If the weather doesn’t hold out, or if swimming isn’t an option, there’s plenty more summer fun to be had in southern Brooklyn. Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park are open all weekend, and will both be open seven days a week starting May 23. 

Coney Island USA’s Marx Brothers Weekend starts on Friday, and continues all weekend with film screenings and other events, and while the Brooklyn Cyclones are off on Memorial Day weekend, they’re back at Maimonides Park to face the Aberdeen IronBirds on May 27. 

Brooklynites will have to wait a little longer to visit the city’s outdoor pools — they won’t open until June 27, according to the Parks Department.