The 2026 Archtober festival will soon be upon us—over 100 cultural institutions across New York City will delight in architecture and design talks, tours, and programs across the five boroughs (and even across the tri-state). As we gear up for the revelry, we are thrilled to share the theme for this year's festival!

As civil society faces pervasive uncertainty and polycrisis, Archtober's 2026 theme invites us to realign ourselves towards community and optimism: In Our Hands. Encapsulating a need for togetherness, In Our Hands offers a sense of grounded fortitude amid climate change, rapidly evolving artificial intelligence, and divisive policies. This theme and the festival's programming celebrate a collective desire for sensorial, inclusive design, handcrafted practices, and resilient structures. It is also a reminder of our agency and responsibility as architects, designers, and citizens in fostering a more just and joyful living environment. The future, after all, is In Our Hands.

In line with this year's theme, we're categorizing the events hosted across our Archtober partners and platforms under different topic umbrellas: Nature, Media, Culture, History, and Education, as a way to discuss the topics at the forefront of our community's work. You might consider thinking about them as (insert category here) in our hands, conveying a connectivity and immediacy to each program, whether it be a lecture, a tour, or an exhibition. These are not meant to compartmentalize or limit the breadth of possibilities to explore in the industry—rather, it's an opportunity to see how hand-in-hand our collective work is. Here are brief descriptions of the categories:

Nature
Nature explores our relationship with the living systems that shape and sustain the world around us. Spanning climate resilience and ecological restoration as well as parks, landscapes, and waterways, this category explores how design can cultivate a more sustainable and interconnected future.

Media
Media highlights the power of storytelling to shape what we see, value, and imagine. Through images, film, publishing, technology, and emerging forms of communication, it reveals how narratives can inspire action and expand our collective vision of what is possible.

Culture
Culture celebrates the traditions, identities, and creative expressions that give meaning to place and connect us across generations. This category examines how architecture and design both reflect and influence the evolution of our communities.

History
History reveals the ideas, people, movements, and decisions that have shaped our built environment over time. By examining the past, this category uncovers the forces that continue to influence our cities and invites reflection on the legacy we are creating today.

Education
Education forefronts the exchange of knowledge that empowers individuals and communities to shape their own future. Through teaching, learning, mentorship, and public engagement, this category explores how ideas are shared, challenged, and transformed into action.
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Touching the History and Culture categories, when the festival launches October 1 the Center for Architecture will introduce three exhibitions: Humanist Modernity, Why Design?, and Dark Matter U: Justice, Pedagogy, Design. Dark Matter U: Justice, Pedagogy, Design will be the first major U.S. exhibition of and by the groundbreaking Dark Matter U (DMU) network; Humanist Modernity focuses on the work of Stanisława Sandecka-Nowicka and Maciej (Matthew) Nowicki, two significant figures in the history of American and Polish architecture; Why Design? is the Center for Architecture Education Department’s exhibition of K-12 student design work from our Learning By Design:NY in-school residencies and school and Youth and Family workshops held at the Center for Architecture. These explorations of human-centered design, critical design education, and social responsibilities of the architectural practice go beyond the traditional architectural lens, speaking to the core our festival's theme.

There will be a variety of programs and initiatives this fall that speak to In Our Hands—save this page to stay tuned for updates! We'll highlight specific upcoming programming and newly added initiatives here as our partners prepare for the season.