If you could send one message to New Yorkers living in 2076, what would it be? A Knicks jersey? A love letter to your favorite neighborhood diner? A photo of your block before the corner bodega became a luxury condo? A warning that a $2 slice, a $3 subway ride, and affordable rent were all once hotly debated topics?
Well, you’re going to want to figure it out!
NYC is inviting residents to help create a citywide time capsule that will remain sealed until America’s tricentennial in 2076, giving future generations a glimpse into what life in the five boroughs looked like in 2026–good, bad, and overpriced.
What can you put in the time capsule?
As part of celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary, New Yorkers are being asked to contribute small personal mementos that reflect life today.
Accepted items include:
- Photos
- Artwork
- Letters
- Other present-day memorabilia
Contributions must meet size and material requirements, with each item roughly limited to the size of a deck of cards.
How to contribute your item
Anyone hoping to have their memory included can do so during Senator John Liu’s America 250 Celebration, where the time capsule will officially be assembled.
- When: Saturday, June 28, 2026
- Time: 1 pm
- Where: Francis Lewis High School (58-20 Utopia Parkway, Fresh Meadows, Queens)
The free event will feature live music, food, games, activities, historical reenactments, and the ceremonial placement of items into the capsule.
When will the time capsule be opened?
Following the celebration, the completed capsule will be transferred to the Queens Public Library’s Main Street branch in Flushing, where it will remain on public display for the next five decades.
The capsule is scheduled to be opened on July 4, 2076–America’s 300th birthday. Liu stated:
This time capsule will preserve these hopes and dreams for the next 50 years, and serve as a living record of our voices and values as Americans that will offer insights and wisdom to our fellow Americans celebrating the tricentennial in 2076.
So if you’ve ever wanted to leave a message for future New Yorkers, this may be your only chance to show them exactly what life was like in 2026—before whatever futuristic version of bodegas, subway delays, and apartment-hunting nightmares exists in 2076.
