Celebrate Jamaica Bay on July 13
Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) has announced the lineup for the 7th Annual Jamaica Bay Festival on City of Water Day, Saturday, July 13. The Jamaica Bay Festival is a free, fun, family-friendly event taking place across 10,000 acres of parklands around Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn and Queens. The Festival celebrates the unparalleled recreational opportunities and natural beauty of this urban tidal estuary. This year, JBRPC is partnering with 40 local community groups to host events from morning ‘til night!
The Jamaica Bay Festival offers participants a chance to engage in a diverse array of recreational and educational activities. From expansive natural areas to playgrounds to the marsh islands of Jamaica Bay, attendees will enjoy enhanced access to the Bay. The interactive map of activities, available online at JamaicaBayFestival.com, includes 39 events organized into four categories: Recreation, Nature, Stewardship, and Arts and Culture.
Recreational activities include kayaking, rowing, sailing, stand-up paddleboarding, biking, running, yoga, guided workouts, and water-wise activities – all aimed at strengthening Jamaica Bay communities through healthy outdoor activities that support education and stewardship through recreation.
Nature-focused events include guided nature walks and wildlife watching tours, a beach scavenger hunt, a labyrinth experience, and even an opportunity to safely view sunspots and flares on the sun. Nature activities provide a closer look at the diverse wildlife and habitats around the bay and emphasize the importance of conservation and sustainability.
For those interested in volunteer stewardship opportunities, shoreline cleanups at three locations around the bay will allow participants to give back to the environment and their community.
The Festival will also showcase events that celebrate the arts, culture, and history of the region. Festival-goers can enjoy musical performances, art exhibitions, view historic sites and aircraft, create a canvas painting, and enjoy a community farmer’s market.
“The Jamaica Bay Festival provides us with the opportunity to highlight the role of JBRPC and the work of many community partners to create access to nature and recreational opportunities all around Jamaica Bay,” said Terri Carta, JBRPC’s Executive Director. “We’re committed to increasing awareness about the importance of Jamaica Bay as NYC’s largest tidal estuary and JBRPC’s mission to steward parklands and wetlands within our catchment, which includes a third of the city’s coastline.”
Harold Paez of Community Boathouse said, “This year, the Community Boathouse is proud to join the effort with JBRPC, and many other organizations, to celebrate the beauty and vitality of Jamaica Bay. We believe that the best way of improving advocacy, and preserving our wetlands, is to have our fellow citizens experience the spaces directly, through the many programs available to them. This year, our organization is happy to announce a new launch site located at the Vernam Barbadoes Preserve in the Arverne section of Rockaway. We are looking forward to a great day on the water!”
The Jamaica Bay Festival is made possible through partnership with government agencies, non-profit organizations and businesses throughout Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn and Queens. The Festival is generously supported, in part, by the Hudson River Foundation, New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program, Waterfront Alliance, and ConEdison. NYC Ferry is the official transportation sponsor of the Jamaica Bay Festival. Use the NYC Ferry App for up-to-date routes and schedules.
For more info, see: JamaicaBayFestival.com