Celebrate City of Water Day at the 8th Annual Jamaica Bay Festival

New Yorkers are invited to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of Jamaica Bay at the 8th Annual Jamaica Bay Festival on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

This free, family-friendly event coincides with City of Water Day and offers a variety of activities designed to connect the community with the city's largest tidal estuary.

Organized by the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, the festival spans multiple locations across Brooklyn and Queens, including Canarsie Pier, Floyd Bennett Field, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Shirley Chisholm State Park, and the Rockaway Peninsula.

Attendees can enjoy a diverse lineup of events such as kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, bird watching, nature walks, yoga sessions, live music performances, and art exhibitions.

These activities aim to highlight the ecological significance and recreational opportunities of Jamaica Bay.

One of the festival's highlights is the Kayak Parade, starting at 9 a.m. from various points by Sunset Cove.

Paddlers will have the unique opportunity to view the FDNY spray boat, which shoots water out of cannons from various angles.

At Bayswater Park, visitors can learn stand-up paddleboarding or observe nature and wildlife with the Urban Park Rangers.

Further down, at Fort Tilden in Breezy Point, attendees can observe piping plovers, endangered birds that nest each year on the Rockaway Peninsula.

Yoga enthusiasts can join classes at the Rockaway Hotel rooftop or Rockaway Beach, while the Black Surfing Association will conduct a water safety clinic at Rockaway Beach Skate Park.

In Brooklyn, activities include fishing lessons, free bike rentals, and bird watching.

"Approximately 3 million New Yorkers live around Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway peninsula—an area that also includes over 10,000 acres of public parklands, 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches, and 18,000 acres of open water, marsh islands," said Terri Carta, Executive Director of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy.

"Reconnecting with our waterfront has never been more important, whether for recreational activities, learning opportunities, health and wellness, jobs, or arts and culture."

The festival is made possible through partnerships with government agencies, non-profit organizations, and local businesses throughout Jamaica Bay in both Brooklyn and Queens.

Generous support comes from the Hudson River Foundation, New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program, Waterfront Alliance, Con Edison, and NYC Ferry, the official transportation sponsor.

For a full list of activities and to register for specific events, visit the Jamaica Bay Festival website.

Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate City of Water Day by exploring the natural wonders of Jamaica Bay.