The tenth annual City of Water Day will drench participants in fun tomorrow (Saturday, July 15) at more than 60 venues throughout the five boroughs, New Jersey and Westchester. But Lower Manhattan residents will want to cruise over to Governors Island, which will be the center of the region’s most popular family-friendly harbor festival.
While on Governors Island, be sure to check out the Con Edison Cardboard Kayak Race, in which 25 teams (including last year’s champion House of Cardboard Kayaks, plus squads from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, Billion Oyster Project, and North Brooklyn Boat Club, as well as competitors from universities, high schools, and family groups) will race their handcrafted paper boats in heats beginning at 2:30 pm. The public are invited to watch the contenders build these vessels starting at noon.
New this year, the Arm of the Sea Theater will present the Rejuvenary River Circus, an allegorical tale featuring masks and puppet characters, a bio-morphic set design, and live original music, starting at 12:30 pm.
As in years past, Disney will also present games, music, craft, and activities for children on Colonels Row.
Also on Governors Island, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation invites urban anglers to cast a line with I Fish NY And the New York City chapter of the Audubon Society will introduce amateur ornithologists to the birds of the metropolitan area.
For more information about these and other City of Water Day events, click here.
City of Water Day is organized by the Waterfront Alliance, a non-profit advocacy group that works to protect, transform and revitalize the New York/New Jersey harbor and waterfront into a place where sailboats, kayaks and pleasure craft share the waterways with commuter ferries, barges and container ships; where cared-for parks are connected by affordable waterborne transit; where dozens of exciting waterfront destinations reflect the vitality and diversity of New York and are accessible to all. For more information about the organization, please visit: www.waterfrontalliance.org
“City of Water Day is a day to play, and a day to acknowledge our shared responsibility,” said Roland Lewis, president and chief executive officer of the Waterfront Alliance. “We wouldn’t have cleaner water, more waterfront access, and fantastic new ferry service without hard work and advocacy — and we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of accessibility, resilience, and environmental health.”