It's one of those events you have to see to believe.

The LUMA Festival brings projection art to Binghamton streets, taking over buildings and re-imagining the city.

But like many others, organizers of an event that draws such a large crowd are being forced to shift their focus digitally.

"Our mission for LUMA 2020 became 'let's invent the technologies. Let's invent the format. Let's invent the techniques to present top quality art,' but socially distanced over the internet as if we have been doing it for years," said LUMA co-founder Joshua Bernard.

So what can you expect this year?

LUMA will feature a project known as "Miranda," a steampunk VR experience, which can be viewed online or through a virtual reality headset.

It includes live, interactive actors wearing motion-capture technology.

"It is a science-fiction, steampunk murder mystery," Bernard said. "It is built on video game technology, but we are building all of the environments, all of the characters from scratch."

Organizers also hope to unveil the LUMA 365 app.

It would allow you to experience the festival any day you choose by simply holding your smartphone's camera up to buildings and watching them transform before your eyes.

"You can go on a walking tour of downtown Binghamton, walk up to the buildings where LUMA nearly happens, hold up your camera phone and your phone screen will superimpose the animations your normally see in LUMA over those buildings perfectly," said Bernard.

Last year, LUMA drew an audience of 50,000 people to the city.

But the digital event itself isn't set in stone just yet.

Significant financial backers have pulled out of the festival, forcing organizers to turn to additional crowd sourcing.

A "Save LUMA" page raised $8,000 in just 24 hours.

"I think they understand how important LUMA is to this community, but I thank many of them also understand the economic impact of the arts in a visceral way, having seen LUMA. I was doing a little research. The arts economy accounts for 4.9 million jobs in the United States alone," said Bernard.

Organizers hope to raise $40,000 as part of a larger $100,000 “LUMA Rescue Plan."