Every spring, a coalition of community gardeners, environmental justice advocates, urban farmers, and curious neighbors comes together in Mott Haven and Port Morris for one of the Bronx’s most beloved annual traditions: the Bronx Food and Farm Tour. Now in its 12th year, the tour is a 4-mile journey by bus and bike through the South Bronx’s thriving network of community gardens — and a living testament to what happens when residents decide to grow something beautiful in a neighborhood that institutions have long neglected.

The 2026 edition, hosted in partnership by South Bronx Unite, Bronx Green-Up at the New York Botanical Garden, and Montefiore-Einstein, takes place on Saturday, May 16. If you live in the Bronx — or anywhere in New York City — it’s one of the most worthwhile ways to spend a spring morning.

What the Tour Actually Looks Like

The tour visits community gardens throughout Mott Haven and Port Morris, weaving together green spaces and industrial sites to tell the full story of environmental justice organizing in the South Bronx. Participants travel by bus and bike, stopping at gardens including the Community Garden at 128 Lincoln Avenue, the 138th Street Community Garden, the Bruckner Mott Haven Community Garden, and the Rainbow Garden of Life and Health, among others.

The route is supported by El Barrio Bikes, NYCSBUS, the Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards, and B-Blossom Catering. Local restaurant La Morada — a Mott Haven institution known as much for its community activism as its Oaxacan food — provides lunch at the post-tour community gathering, which runs from 2 to 3 p.m. at 128 Lincoln Avenue.

If you can’t join the full tour, you can still attend the afternoon gathering, hear from speakers, and share a meal. Participants on the bike portion are asked to bring a helmet — and an extra one if they have it.

South Bronx Unite: Environmental Justice From the Ground Up

The Food and Farm Tour is just one piece of South Bronx Unite’s broader work. The organization has been one of the most effective environmental and community advocacy groups in the borough for years, fighting against the concentration of waste transfer stations, truck traffic, and industrial facilities in Mott Haven and Port Morris — neighborhoods where residents have long borne a disproportionate share of New York City’s environmental burden.

South Bronx Unite’s approach connects the dots between community gardens, food access, air quality, land use, and economic opportunity. The Food and Farm Tour is a celebration, yes — but it’s also organizing. Every stop on the route is a garden that someone fought to protect, a lot that got reclaimed from blight, a community space built through years of volunteer labor and advocacy. The tour makes that work visible and invites new people into it.

Alongside South Bronx Unite, the BronxWorks annual Lifting Lives Gala on May 12 at a location to be announced highlights another dimension of Bronx community leadership — the organization supports residents facing housing instability, food insecurity, and other challenges across the borough. And the Bronx Community Foundation, founded in 2017 by brothers Derrick H. Lewis and Desmon Lewis, continues its work investing in community power and supporting local nonprofits building toward equity and sustainable futures for Bronx residents.

What You Need to Know

• Event: 12th Annual Bronx Food and Farm Tour, hosted by South Bronx Unite, Bronx Green-Up/NYBG, and Montefiore-Einstein.
• Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026.
• Format: 4-mile bus-and-bike tour through community gardens in Mott Haven and Port Morris.
• After-tour gathering: 2–3 p.m. at 128 Lincoln Avenue, Mott Haven — speakers, lunch by La Morada and B-Blossom Catering.
• What to bring: A helmet if biking (and a spare if you have one).
• Who’s behind it: South Bronx Unite, with partners including El Barrio Bikes, NYCSBUS, the Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards, and local garden groups.
• Learn more: Visit southbronxunite.org/events for registration details and updates.

The South Bronx has spent decades being defined by what it lacks. The Food and Farm Tour is a reminder of what it has: community members who show up, gardens that bloom in the middle of asphalt, and organizations willing to do the long, unglamorous work of building a more just neighborhood. If you’ve never been to Mott Haven’s community gardens, May 16 is your invitation.

For more on the Bronx’s green spaces and outdoor spots worth exploring, take a look at our guide to Bronx hidden gems including the Bronx River Greenway and Soundview.