New York City’s streets pulse with vivid color, raw creativity, and powerful stories that reflect its diverse soul. The NYC art scene transforms neighborhoods into open-air galleries, where brick walls, storefronts, and alleyways serve as canvases for artists from every corner of the globe.
In street art neighborhoods in NYC, you’ll find murals and graffiti that range from bold political statements to whimsical designs, each piece a snapshot of the city’s ever-evolving culture. While Bushwick and Chinatown stand out as iconic street art hotspots in NYC, other neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, Williamsburg, East Harlem, Long Island City, and the Bronx add their own distinct flavors to the city’s urban art tapestry.
This guide highlights the best street murals in NYC and pinpoints the top spots for capturing street art photography. Wander these districts, camera in hand, and immerse yourself in the artistic energy that makes New York City a global street art capital.
Bushwick
Bushwick, Brooklyn, is the undisputed epicenter of New York City’s street art scene. What began as a grassroots effort to beautify a working-class neighborhood has grown into one of the world’s most beautiful outdoor art galleries. At the heart of it all is the Bushwick Collective, a community-driven project founded in 2012 by Joseph Ficalora in honor of his late parents. Every mural is painted with permission—not commission—making the streets feel raw, organic, and always alive.
Each June, the Bushwick Collective Block Party draws local and international artists to the industrial blocks around Troutman Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. During the event, old murals are painted over and new works emerge, transforming Bushwick’s walls into a dynamic canvas. In 2024 and 2025, artists like Sef1, Contrabandre, Tymon de Laat, Ashley Hodder, and Patrick Kane McGregor left their mark with vivid tributes, surreal portraits, and politically charged murals. You’ll find pieces honoring hip-hop icons, immigrants, and even Joe Ficalora himself, portrayed as a child by Sef1 in a deeply personal mural.
But the art here isn’t just seasonal. New murals appear every few weeks across the area. From dreamlike imagery by French artist Enzo, to massive collaborations by artists like Candy Kuo and Wade Indeed, to striking tributes to cultural figures like George Floyd and Rakim. Around every corner, you’ll also find unsanctioned art: stickers, wheatpastes, stencils, and tags that add layers of conversation and commentary to the neighborhood’s evolving visual landscape.
For photographers, Bushwick offers unmatched texture and energy. Early mornings are perfect for soft light and fewer crowds. The intersection of Wyckoff and Troutman is a must-visit, often featuring large-scale works. Sidewalks, alleyways, and even dumpsters hold art—so keep your eyes moving in every direction. You can join a street art tour or explore it solo.
Self-guided street art walks are easy to do here, but tours offer deeper insights into the stories behind the paint. Whether you visit during the Block Party or on a quiet weekday, Bushwick’s streets are always shifting, always speaking, and always worth exploring.
Chinatown
Manhattan’s Chinatown is more than a bustling enclave of shops and dumpling houses—it’s a cultural canvas where tradition and contemporary art collide. Walking through its narrow streets, you’ll find that its walls tell stories just as rich as the cuisine or local customs. Along Doyers Street, once known as the “Bloody Angle,” and Canal Street, colorful murals feature intricate dragons, blooming lotus flowers, and powerful tributes to Asian-American resilience. These striking visuals speak to both the neighborhood’s deep-rooted heritage and its evolving identity in the modern cityscape.
One of the most iconic is “Greetings from Chinatown” at 1 Allen Street. Created by Victor Ving in 2014, this postcard-style mural blends nostalgic visuals with local references: the Maneki Neko cat, koi fish, Canal Street’s knockoff goods, the F train, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and even a tribute to 9/11. Each letter tells a piece of the community’s story, creating a bold collage of history and memory.
A few blocks away, Doyers Street became the site of “The Song of Dragon and Flowers.” Painted directly onto the street in 2018 by Chen Dongfan, this mural was part of a city program to turn Doyers into a seasonal pedestrian zone. A winding dragon symbolized immigrant ambition, while abstract flowers honored suffragette Mabel Lee and the hope for peace. Though temporary, the mural transformed the street into a space of color, energy, and reflection.
In the heart of Chinatown, another immersive piece drew visitors down to street level: Rice Terraces by Chilean artist Dasic Fernández. Composed of 44 colors, this anamorphic mural plays with depth and perspective to create a striking illusion when viewed from key angles. Inspired by the layered beauty of rice fields, the artwork invites passersby to pause, shift perspective, and engage physically with the art beneath their feet.
Other murals like “Mahjong Social” add humor and local flavor: pigeons play mahjong dressed as a Chinatown grandma, a Yankees fan, and even a mobster, blending Chinese tradition with New York personality. Projects like the Chinatown Mural Project continue to support local artists, turning murals into tools for cultural preservation and community revival. Join street art tours in NYC led by locals to learn more about the stories behind the murals.
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side (LES) is widely recognized as the birthplace of graffiti and street art in New York City. In the 1970s and ’80s, amid the grit and punk energy of the neighborhood, artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Richard Hambleton turned LES into a creative refuge. Their work—raw, political, and deeply personal—challenged conventional art spaces and shaped what street art means today. Many of these early artists were children of immigrants, raised in the LES’s tenement apartments, and found their voice through paint, walls, and rebellion.
Today, the neighborhood still carries that legacy. Murals and tags cover nearly every block—some bold and towering, others hidden in alleys or layered with stickers and wheatpaste. Freeman Alley remains a rotating showcase of graffiti, stencils, and spontaneous expression, while First Street Green Art Park brings color and performance to a once-abandoned lot. The First Street Garden, filled with activist-themed portraits, adds yet another layer of meaning to LES’s mural culture.
The Bowery Mural Wall, first painted by Keith Haring in 1982, continues to spotlight global artists like Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and Os Gêmeos. Nearby, Rag & Bone’s mural wall also rotates high-profile work, adding to the LES’s modern street art circuit. And at night, thanks to the 100 Gates Project, closed shopfronts become canvases for hand-painted gates across the neighborhood.
Whether you’re wandering aimlessly or following a tour, the LES offers some of the richest, most authentic street art in NYC. It’s a neighborhood where luxury hotels sit alongside shelters, where murals honor George Floyd and proclaim “Stop Asian Hate,” and where art serves as both a mirror and a megaphone for those who walk these streets.
For street art photography in NYC, include fire escapes, brick backdrops, and passersby for context. And don’t miss Great Jones Street, once home to Basquiat’s studio and the Five Points Gang’s headquarters—a street layered with history, rebellion, and creative brilliance.
Gay Street, Greenwich Village
Located between Waverly Place and Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, Gay Street is only one block long, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in character and cultural weight. Its curved cobblestone layout, charming Federal-style rowhouses, and wrought iron fences feel almost frozen in time. But the real story here is about pride, identity, and creative resistance. A hidden gem in any Manhattan street art guide, Gay Street visually and symbolically reflects the spirit of LGBTQ+ voices.
Though its name predates the modern LGBTQ+ movement, Gay Street has become a symbolic and artistic touchpoint in queer history and activism. The surrounding Village area has long been a haven for LGBTQ+ communities, and that spirit often finds expression on nearby walls. You’ll find tags celebrating queer icons and calling for equality, speaking to both joy and protest.
During Pride Month and especially around the Stonewall anniversary, temporary murals and painted crosswalks add bursts of color and celebration. Even when the murals change or fade, Gay Street’s presence serves as a reminder that art, identity, and resistance are intertwined.
For street art photography in NYC, Gay Street offers intimate composition possibilities: narrow sightlines, historical facades, and small yet powerful murals. Whether you visit during Pride or on a gray winter day, Gay Street is a must-stop for anyone looking to understand how NYC’s street art scene intersects with its queer history and fight for visibility.
Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is a neighborhood where art spills into everyday life. From water towers to warehouse walls, murals appear on nearly every block, turning the streets into a vast open-air museum. Southside Williamsburg, in particular, brims with color and creativity, shaped by both global talent and deeply rooted community voices.
One of the neighborhood’s most iconic pieces is the “Mona Lisa of Williamsburg,” a four-story mural based on a high school photo by Brooklyn teen Steven Paul. Painted by Colossal Media in 2014 at Broadway and Bedford, it has since become a landmark and a favorite photo stop. A few blocks away, artist Mike Makatron’s massive “Brooklyn Snail” adds surreal charm to S 3rd Street, while “Song to the Siren” by Naveen Shakil Khan brings raw, emotional beauty in black-and-white portraiture to S 2nd Street.
Elsewhere, walls burst with tributes, humor, and political commentary—from Eduardo Kobra’s boxing duo of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat to spray-painted quotes like “Fear will not silence us” or playful characters like Marge Simpson mid-prank. Murals appear in unexpected places, too: Jason Naylor’s work brightens a dental clinic’s back door, and Chris Tuorto pairs a pastel fist with a minimalist donut for punchy impact on Bedford Avenue.
Local artists and collectives leave their mark as well. Students from MS 50, together with Los Muralistas de El Puente, created a vibrant two-story mural honoring the neighborhood’s Latino, African-American, Asian, and Native American-heritage.
For the best photos, visit early or late in the day for softer light. Whether you’re capturing murals above subway entrances, tucked into alleys, or towering above trendy cafés, Williamsburg delivers art at every turn. These street art hotspots in NYC are funny, bold, and unmistakably Brooklyn.
East Harlem
East Harlem, also known as El Barrio, is a neighborhood steeped in layered cultural history, and its walls reflect a vivid blend of history, activism, and community pride. From handball courts to subway platforms, murals across this neighborhood honor Afro-Caribbean heritage, celebrate neighborhood icons, and speak boldly about social justice.
The Graffiti Hall of Fame at 106th and Park Avenue is a cornerstone of the local scene. Founded in 1980, it’s where legends and rising artists alike leave their mark. Recently updated by the Bronx-based crew, the massive “Harlem” mural adds new layers to a space that’s long served as a rotating showcase of street expression.
Nearby, murals like Keith Haring’s “Crack is Wack,” restored in 2019, and The Spirit of East Harlem by Hank Prussing and Manny Vega ground the area in both political urgency and neighborhood warmth. Deeper into El Barrio, you’ll find personal tributes like Nu Nu by Topaz, protest murals like Dos Alas, and poetic works by East Harlem native James De La Vega, whose Picasso-inspired lines mark street corners.
The neighborhood’s murals stretch beyond paint. Faith Ringgold’s “Flying Home” mosaics at the 125th Street subway station depict Harlem heroes soaring across the city. The Julia de Burgos Mosaic near 106th & Lexington celebrates the life and words of the iconic Puerto Rican poet.
East Harlem’s art is best seen on foot. Mornings bring out the details: layers of color against brick, concrete, and chain-link fences. Whether you’re photographing the iconic Hall of Fame or stumbling on a painted quote that stops you in your tracks, the message is clear: in East Harlem, the walls don’t just display art, they also carry history.
For visitors, early morning light softens these works and brings out the vibrant hues of the artists. El Barrio’s street art is a historical record, protest, love letter, and living memory. Every mural tells a story.
Long Island City
Long Island City (LIC) was once home to 5Pointz, a global graffiti landmark that turned a cluster of old factories into a colorful, ever-changing canvas. Though the building was controversially demolished in 2014, its legacy still shapes the neighborhood’s artistic pulse. Today, you’ll find new murals tucked between converted warehouses and rising high-rises, echoing the spirit of what once was.
Just across the way, the Welling Court Mural Project continues LIC’s commitment to public art. Started in 2009 in nearby Astoria, it’s a living gallery of global street art that spans stencils, paste-ups, large-scale murals, and community tributes. The art shifts with the seasons, but its energy remains constant. LIC’s mix of gritty backdrops and Manhattan skyline views make it a hotspot for street art photography in NYC. Frame murals with rusted metal, old signage, or sweeping river views for a striking contrast.
What makes LIC distinct is not just its murals, but the community infrastructure that supports them. Unlike commercialized districts where art is curated for branding, LIC’s public art emerges from collaboration between artists, building owners, collectives, and local residents. These aren’t just background visuals; they’re part of the neighborhood’s cultural lifeblood.
The streets themselves carry stories, protests, homages, and personal declarations, often created without fanfare but layered with meaning. And even though 5Pointz is gone, its legacy continues not just in murals, but in the city’s evolving respect for graffiti as art.
Weekends are ideal to visit when artists often work live, and the streets feel like an open-air studio. From the ashes of 5Pointz, LIC has built a new chapter in NYC’s street art story, one that’s raw, resilient, and still evolving.
The Bronx
The Bronx is where graffiti history runs deep and still speaks loudly. As the birthplace of hip-hop, it’s also where street art first exploded into a cultural force. From raw tags on subway cars to sprawling murals across Hunts Point and Mott Haven, the borough’s walls have always been about voice, identity, and resistance.
It’s the birthplace of graffiti culture: the first tag-laced subway cars and the home of hip-hop’s earliest visual expressions. But more than that, the Bronx is a borough where public art grew out of urgency. It is where murals didn’t just decorate walls, they declared survival, memory, and pride.
In neighborhoods like Hunts Point and the South Bronx, murals bloom across concrete walls and overpasses, echoing stories of resilience, music, and movement. This isn’t art commissioned by ad agencies or curated for Instagram, it’s community-rooted, history-soaked, and deeply alive.
The legendary Tats Cru—known as the “Mural Kings”—still dominates the Bronx’s visual landscape. Their pieces stretch across Simpson Street, walls in Soundview, and schoolyards across the borough. Their styles vary (hyperrealism, throwback graffiti, cartoonish boldness), but their messages always land. From memorials to local legends to portraits of Big Pun or Selena, Tats Cru’s murals feel personal, defiant, and timeless. Their “I Love The Bronx” mural, part of the Boone Avenue Walls project, turns an underpass into an altar to borough pride.
In Mott Haven, spontaneous tags transform factory exteriors and bridge supports into layered canvases. Walk beneath the Bruckner Expressway and you’ll find entire concrete spans covered with sharp, expressive burners—many by up-and-coming artists, others by OGs like Crash (John Matos), who now runs WallWorks NY, a gallery just a few blocks from his old spray spots. It’s a space where the outlaw energy of 1970s graffiti meets today’s fine art scene without losing its Bronx bite.
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New York City’s street art lights up Bushwick, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Williamsburg, East Harlem, Long Island City, and the Bronx with bold colors and stories. These street art hotspots in NYC captivate summer visitors. Pair your mural hunt with a New York City one-day tour to see the top 10 NYC attractions, like the Statue of Liberty or Times Square.
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