Akumal, a community on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, existed largely unnoticed in the shadows of neighboring tourist meccas such as Cancun and Tulum. It received sparse municipal resources and offered few enriching educational experiences to children and people of all ages, and the lack of light on the fast moving highway that splits the community in two was a persistent safety issue. Akumal residents crossed on foot, often in the dark, from the pueblo in the jungle to the beach to work jobs in the tourist trade. One day, a restaurant owner who employs many of these people sat down with the mayor to discuss the problem, and that conversation evolved into an open, global invitation for mural artists to paint the highway bridge. The first year, 2018, more than 100 artists from 12 countries came to the Yucatan Peninsula, and the Akumal Arts Festival was born. Beyond the Bridge is a short documentary that explores the festival through the lens of Creative Placemaking, which bridges socioeconomic and cultural gaps, uniting all segments of the town around artists and their work. Although the pandemic constrained the festival's scope, in 2022 it reopened to a global community of artists. The Festival inspires and expands economic opportunities, direct artistic participation, and cultural engagement for all ages. The results are not only increased access to these experiences, but also more joy and curiosity, more creativity and cultural exchange, more happiness and hope spreading beyond the bridge. Oh, and new lightbulbs on the bridge!