July 14, 2015 By Jackie Strawbridge
Free kayaking, fishing, yoga and other activities will take place on the Long Island City waterfront this weekend as part of City of Water Day.
City of Water Day, an annual waterfront festival, takes place July 18 in all five boroughs and in New Jersey along the Hudson. Governors Island, which neighbors lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, will host the festival’s cornerstone events.
However, simultaneous City of Water Day events will be held locally throughout a multitude of neighborhoods. In Long Island City, City of Water Day will take place at Gantry State Plaza Park, at 48th Avenue and Center Boulevard.
“Our regional coastlines are precious resources where people can work, live, and most importantly for City of Water Day, play, and that’s what this is all about,” said Roland Lewis, President and CEO of the Waterfront Alliance, which organizes City of Water Day.
According to a WA spokesperson, City of Water Day activities at Gantry will include free public walk-up kayaking, a narrated tour of Gantry State Plaza Park, catch-and-release fishing and yoga, among others.
These events run from roughly noon to 6 p.m. The WA will maintain an updated schedule of events online here.
The Long Island City Boathouse, Hunters Point Parks Conservancy and Friends of the Hunters Point Library are among several local organizations planning to participate.
For these groups, City of Water Day offers an added opportunity to greet neighbors and conduct outreach, Mark Christie, vice-president of HPPC, said.
“People [will be] aware that we are here, and we are advocating for better waterfront access,” Christie said. “Come out and have some fun.”
The waterfront festival will also take place at Hallets Cove in Astoria, according to WA.
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