Celebrate City of Water Day 2026 with NYC Ferry
NextCity of Water Day is back on Saturday, July 25, with free, family-friendly events happening on and near the water across the New York–New Jersey Harbor. This year’s theme, Living with Water: Celebrating Access to the Waterways That Connect Us, is all about experiencing the rivers, bays, creeks, canals, and shorelines that bring our communities together. With NYC Ferry’s optimized routes now in service, plus summer schedule updates and weekend connections to your favorite waterfront destinations, it’s the perfect chance to hop aboard one of the city’s most iconic forms of transportation and make a day of it by traveling between events or exploring a new waterfront neighborhood.
From kayaking, sailing, and biking to fishing, storytelling, and hands-on education, City of Water Day offers a variety of experiences to get out and explore the harbor. Plan your trip using the NYC Ferry app and the City of Water Day website, and use the guide below for some ferry-friendly ways to spend the day on and near the water!
Featured City of Water Day Events Near NYC Ferry Landings:
Battery Park City and Hudson River Park
Route(s): St. George
Landing(s): Battery Park City (connections available to and from NJ)
Nearby event(s): City of Water Day River Walk; City of Water Day at the Downtown Boathouse; Wetlab Look-ins; Big City Fishing; Discovery Tank Guided Gallery
Start the day along the Hudson River with a guided River Walk of Battery Park City at 11:00 AM or free public kayaking at the Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26 from 10:00 AM–4:30 PM. For more waterfront fun, follow the Hudson River Greenway north to Hudson River Park for Wetlab Look-ins at Pier 40, Big City Fishing at Pier 51, and the Discovery Tank Guided Gallery at Pier 57, featuring hands-on fishing and STEM activities focused on local wildlife. Registration is not required for these activities butregistration for the River Walk is optional. Visit the City of Water Day map to learn more.
Governors Island
Route(s): Governors Island Shuttle (free transfers available from all NYC Ferry routes via Wall St.)
Landing(s): Governors Island
Nearby event(s): Brooklyn Book Bodega Book Giveaway and Stories by the Water; A Day of Watering Our Health, Wellness, and Sistahood
Make Governors Island your City of Water Day destination for books, storytelling, movement, and wellness by the water. Stop by the Brooklyn Book Bodega event from 12:00–2:00 PM for free books and stories by the water or join Orisha Wholeness from 10:00 AM–5:00 PM for biking with Black Girls Do Bike, a walk with GirlTrek, and line dancing, yoga, and reflective water work with I Am My Sister. Registration is not required for the book giveaway and optional for the Orisha Wholeness event. Visit the City of Water Day map to learn more.
Lower Manhattan and the Lower East Side
Route(s): All routes; South Brooklyn
Landing(s): Wall St. (All routes); Corlears Hook (South Brooklyn Route)
Nearby event(s): Youth Sail on New York Harbor; City of Water Day POOL1 Block Party!; Coastal Connections at Pier 42
Set sail on the closest thing New York Harbor has to a pirate ship with Buoyant’s free one-hour youth sail from Pier 17. Registration is required, with departures at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM; all ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. From Wall St./Pier 11, walk or take the South Brooklyn route to Corlears Hook for the City of Water Day POOL1 Block Party at Pier 35, from 12:00–5:00 PM, featuring STEM and water safety workshops, live performances, science talks, and interactive water play. You can also register for the 9:00 AM green infrastructure Coastal Connections at Pier 42 tour hosted by the Lower East Side Ecology Center; space is limited. Visit the City of Water Day map to learn more.
Brooklyn Bridge Park, Red Hook, and Sunset Park
Route(s): South Brooklyn
Landing(s): Sunset Park, Red Hook, and Atlantic Avenue
Nearby event(s): Exploring NYC’s Waters Through Microbiology and Monitoring; Hooked on Red Hook Treasure Hunt Park and Pier Cleanup; What Lives in the East River?
Explore South Brooklyn by ferry, starting at Sunset Park from 10:00 AM–1:00 PM for kid-friendly water-quality demonstrations and microbiology activities with the Interstate Environmental Commission; registration is not required. In the afternoon, choose from—or combine—Brooklyn Bridge Park’s What Lives in the East River? near Atlantic Avenue from 12:00–2:00 PM, featuring a marine life touch tank and catch-and-release fishing for participants ages 14+, or Resilient Red Hook’s Hooked on Red Hook Treasure Hunt Park and Pier Cleanup from 1:00–4:00 PM, where guests can sport their best maritime costumes and visit a shoreline storytelling station while helping clean up the park. Registration is required for both afternoon events. Visit the City of Water Day map to learn more.
Staten Island
Route(s): St. George
Landing(s): St. George
Nearby event(s): Signals Across the Harbor
Head to Staten Island for Signals Across the Harbor, a free City of Water Day mini festival at the National Lighthouse Museum from 11:00 AM–5:00 PM. Enjoy interactive activities that connect communities to wildlife in New York Harbor; registration is not required. Pair your visit with other City of Water Day events along the St. George route, including the City of Water Day River Walk at 11:00 AM near Battery Park City or Brooklyn Bridge Park’s What Lives in the East River? from 12:00–2:00 PM at Atlantic Avenue. Visit the City of Water Day map to learn more.
Roosevelt Island
Photo credit: Ghila Krajzman (@gknyphoto) courtesy of @idig2learn
Route(s): Astoria
Landing(s): Roosevelt Island
Nearby event(s): City of Water Day Roosevelt Island
Join Four Freedoms Park Conservancy and iDig2Learn at FDR Four Freedoms State Park for a free, all-ages City of Water Day event exploring the East River’s tidal currents, hidden waterways, and marine life. From 10:00 AM–4:00 PM, enjoy waterfront views, marine touch tables, a 1:00 PM dance performance by Chris Bisram/ShakunDavi Dance, and 3:00 PM percussion by Fogo Azul NYC; registration is not required. Continue along the Astoria route for more City of Water Day activities in Astoria and Long Island City. Visit the City of Water Day map to learn more.
Astoria and Long Island City
Route(s): Astoria; East River
Landing(s): Astoria and Long Island City (Astoria Route); Hunters Point South (East River Route)
Nearby event(s): Hallets Community Resiliency Project; Learn to Row at Anable Basin; Connect with Newtown Creek and the East River from Queens Landing
Explore the East River waterfront from Astoria to Long Island City with fishing, rowing, paddling, and hands-on science. Visit Hallets Cove Playground from 12:00–4:00 PM for catch-and-release fishing and art and science activities, or head to Long Island City for Learn to Row at Anable Basin (ages 18+) from 11:00 AM–3:30 PM and public paddles and shoreline cleanup at Queens Landing from 12:00-4:00 PM. Registration is required for the event at Anable Basin, optional at Queens Landing, and not required at Hallets Cove. Continue along the Astoria and East River routes for more City of Water Day activities at Roosevelt Island and Greenpoint. Visit the City of Water Day map to learn more.
City of Water Day is organized by the New York–New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program and Waterfront Alliance to champion a climate-resilient New York and New Jersey harbor. Looking for more ways to celebrate City of Water Day by ferry? Visit the City of Water Day website to view the full event map, find more events near NYC Ferry landings, and keep tabs on the latest event details before you go.
