City of Water Day boasts 60+ free, family-friendly events on or near the water, and is the perfect way to cool off this summer and engage with your local waterfront. Waterfront activities include kayaking, rowing, sailing, boat tours, educational workshops, coastal cleanups, nature walks, film screenings, and more!   

Family-friendly highlights include:

Bronx:
SUNY Maritime College | 11am-4pm
McMurray Hall, 6 Pennyfield Ave
Boogie Down to the Sound Day is a free community waterfront festival that offers sailing, kayaking, power boating, fishing, and participation in marine science activities, such as seining, oyster restoration, and other STEM activities.

Brooklyn:
Valentino Pier Park | 1pm-4pm
Ferris Street and Coffey Street
Red Hook Art Project hosts an outdoor shell-painting workshop honoring oysters—our local water protectors! Using sustainably sourced shells, participants create vibrant mini artworks while learning about oysters’ role in cleaning the harbor. 

Salt Marsh Nature Center | 9am-10:30am
Marine Park
Learn how to use binoculars and spot the fascinating birds that live in Marine Park's salt marsh while walking through a restored coastal meadow with an expert from NYC Bird Alliance. In honor of City of Water Day, this walk will focus on the waterbirds found in the local marsh, including egrets, herons, skimmers, and more. 

Manhattan:
Community Sailing In Chelsea and Inwood | 10:30am-4pm
211 12th Avenue, Chelsea
348 Dyckman Street, Inwood
Get out on the Hudson River in an hour-long sail! All are welcome and invited to sail with HRCS in Inwood or Chelsea. Participants go out with a certified instructor or volunteer, learn basic maneuvers and get hands-on, and see the city from a new perspective! Life jackets are provided and required. No swimming or sailing experience necessary. Participants must be at least 5 and weigh 50 lbs, and all children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Register online in advance.

City of Water at the Seaport | 11am-5pm
Festivities include boat tours on all kinds of vessels, from tall ships to tugboats, plus free rowing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and more.

City of Water in Rockefeller Park | 11am-12pm
Head to Rockefeller Park's ideal Hudson-side setting to celebrate and learn about environmental stewardship, take part in a nature walk, and participate in a collaborative art project.

Riverside Park North | 3pm-7pm
145th Street, next to Baseball Field #8
Experience the sound of water slipping away—one turn at a time. Visit The Hourglass, a public artwork about water scarcity in Riverside Park North, and meet the artist. Learn how the sculpture was imagined, built, and made interactive, and create a Rain Stick.  

Queens:
Hunters Point Parks Conservancy | 12pm-6pm
56-27 2nd Street LIC
HPPC is partnering with the Newtown Creek Alliance, the North Brooklyn Community Boathouse, and the Queens Public Library to celebrate City of Water Day! NBCB will be with HPPC at the kayak launch in Hunters Point South Park for free community boating.

Beach 43rd Street Park | 11am-4pm
592 Beach 43rd Street
Garden by the Bay's Annual Fun in the Sun, Kayaking on Jamaica Bay celebration includes arts & crafts, environmental awareness discussions, games, kite flying, live music and kayaking. All lessons are free and life vests are provided. All children must be accompanied by a parent and/or legal guardian.

Staten Island:
Alice Austen House | 9am-12pm
2 Hylan Blvd
View short performances by DB Lampman entitled Waterfowl, followed by public kayaking (ages 12 and up) and a chance to make your own art. DB Lampman's performances will be at 10:15am and 11:45am with public paddling from 9am - 12pm.

National Lighthouse Museum | 11am-4pm
200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point
The National Lighthouse Museum offers free admission from 11am - 4pm, along with hands-on lighthouse-related children’s activities outside the Museum and education booths set up by Gotham Whale and the Billion Oyster Project. Inside the Museum, visit a new art exhibit: ORCAS by artist Selva Orzelli, watch an award winning film by Gotham Whale, and check out a lecture about rain barrels by Tony Rose, an Environmental Advocate.

Check the City of Water website for more activities.