The LUMA Projection Arts Festival will hit the streets — and walls — of Downtown Binghamton for the third straight year this Friday night. The 2017 version is expected to be more interactive than ever before.

Six simultaneous projections will play on loop from 9 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 1 in Downtown Binghamton. The projections will feature virtual reality interactive pieces, for which attendees will have the chance to wear virtual reality helmets. An additional 3-D projection will call for 3-D glasses to create an illusion of depth.

Binghamton City Councilman and LUMA organizer Conrad Taylor, a senior majoring in political science, said the event will feature some of the most well-known projection artists in the world, and he expects it to transform the Downtown area.

“All of these [projections] are making the buildings come to life,” Taylor said. “Just a few seconds after the projections start, you won’t even realize it’s a building anymore, you’ll become immersed in the story.”

Tice Lerner, LUMA co-founder and research director, said that the event will feature artists from Barcelona and Budapest.

Ryan Uzilevsky, an artist from Light Harvest Studio, based in Brooklyn, New York, will also be featured. His work has appeared in festivals like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Artists including Rama Karl, whose work focuses on artificial characters and has been shown in Beijing, Switzerland and Italy, will be featured along with Lucem Picturae, who creates images through a video light-painting process. The work of current BU student Jesse Pelzar, who has designed LED displays and has knowledge of 3-D design and is a junior majoring in electrical engineering, will also be on display.

This year the festival has grown to cover six new buildings, an increase from last year’s four installations. Buildings include the Crowley Building, Carnegie Library, Grand Royale Hotal and Stone Opera House. According to Lerner, the process of choosing the buildings involves collaboration with the artists to make sure they choose the right canvas.

Visions Federal Credit Union is the title sponsor of LUMA, but there are a number of co-sponsors. In addition, more than $25,000 was raised through Kickstarter to fund the festival, which costs upward of $100,000 to put on.

Downtown food vendors such as Alexander’s Cafe and Strange Brew will also be out during the festival, along with boutiques, food trucks and art studios.

Lerner said this event gives attendees something to be proud of and that the city of Binghamton is a critical component to making LUMA happen.

“The thing that drives a creative economy, when a downtown city starts to rise and change and become really cool, is seeing new things, art galleries opening up and things that invite cultures from all over,” Lerner said.

Stacey Duncan, deputy director for community and economic development at the Broome County Industrial Development Agency, said that LUMA is a signature regional event that will have far-reaching impact for people coming into the community.

“From an economic development perspective, LUMA is a demonstration of an amazing grass-roots effort to take an idea and turn it into a phenomenal event that’s putting Binghamton on the map as a destination location,” Duncan said. “It’s gaining visibility outside the area and that’s going to have a huge impact.”

The first two years of LUMA were about solidifying and proving its legitimacy as a premier festival, according to Taylor. He said this year is about showing how cool it can be.

“I am confident that if you even mildly enjoyed LUMA year one or two, this year is going to blow your mind,” Taylor said.