BROOKLYN, NY — New Yorkers and transit fans will have a chance to see a century of bus history when the New York Transit Museum and MTA New York City Transit host the 2026 Bus Festival at Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend.
The festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza. The event is free to the public and will be held rain-or-shine.
Visitors will be able to explore historic buses, meet the people who keep the city moving and take photos.
"For 50 years, the New York Transit Museum has called a historic subway station home, but our buses are much too big to come inside," Regina Shepherd, Acting Director of the New York Transit Museum, told Patch. "Bus Festival allows us to bring these extraordinary vehicles into the spotlight and welcome the public aboard for a celebration of bus history."
Among the featured vehicles is Bus 303, a 1918 wooden-bodied, open-top double-decker making its first Bus Festival appearance. Recently restored, it is now the oldest restored vehicle in the New York Transit Museum's vintage bus fleet.
It will be displayed alongside "Betsy," the Museum's 1931 double-decker.
Other highlights include Bus 3100, a 1956 prototype considered the first air-conditioned transit bus in the United States; Bus 100, a 1959 "Fishbowl" New Look bus; Bus 5227, a restored 1971 "Blitz Bus"; and Bus 3865, a 1993 RTS that represents a model that served New York City for decades.
The festival will also feature Bus 2185, known as "Pamela," a 45-foot MCI commuter bus that was badly damaged at the World Trade Center in 2001.
Rebuilt and returned to service in 2005, the bus now carries a special 9/11 memorial livery commemorating the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Visitors can take part in trivia challenges and a Bus Festival scavenger hunt through the New York Transit Museum App.
Those who photograph each vintage bus and complete the hunt can earn a special transit-themed temporary tattoo, organizers said.
The New York Transit Museum Store will also operate a pop-up shop featuring vintage bus models, apparel, toys, books, posters and other transit memorabilia.
For more information on the bus festival and to RSVP you can visit this website.
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