Brooklyn
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Travel the path water takes from rain drop to waterway, in the Gowanus watershed. Gowanus Canal Conservancy and Artichoke Dance Company join to bring an all ages event along 3rd Street that will connect participants to the Gowanus Canal through dance and movement activities, art projects, exhibits to explore, activities about watersheds, tours of street trees, rain gardens, and mussel habitats. Participants under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a guardian.
Organization: Gowanus Canal Conservancy
Location: 248 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Time: 11AM - 2PM
Registration: Not required
Learn more: www.gowanuscanalconservancy.org
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Navigate NYC waters like a harbor captain! You'll learn how to read maritime maps and how ships communicate. We’ll also explore a 17 ft sea kayak and learn where we can try free kayaking and canoeing all around the city. In addition, we’ll discover birds, marine and land mammals and reptiles, fish, invertebrates and plants of Jamaica Bay and Marine Park. We’ll have high-quality spotting scopes and binoculars to explore the park, as well as microscopes to see the tiniest creatures.
Organization: Wild City
Location: 3301 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11234
Time: 10AM - 3PM
Registration: Required (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-city-city-of-water-day-tickets-1992028157844?aff=oddtdtcreator)
Learn more: https://mywildcity.org/
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Celebrate our shorelines by caring for and connecting with Gerritsen Creek. Help remove harmful debris from this natural habitat and beloved community space. An adventurous group of volunteers will gather hard-to-access shoreline trash with stand-up paddleboards. All paddlers must be 14 years or older, and paddlers under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Families welcome.
Organization: Marine Park Alliance
Location: Avenue U & Burnett St, Brooklyn, NY 11234
Time: 9:30AM - 11:30AM
Registration: Required (https://www.marineparkalliance.org/volunteer/)
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Ahoy, Red Hook! Join Resilient Red Hook for the Hooked on Red Hook Treasure Hunt Park & Pier Cleanup — our City of Water Day 2026 celebration of Living With Water. Don your maritime costume (pirates, mermaids, barnacles — all hands welcome) , then compete to collect the most, weirdest, and wildest trash hauls along our working waterfront. Share what climate means to you at our shoreline storytelling station, with prizes for top haulers and best costumes. The Statue of Liberty makes a pretty good backdrop. Neighborhood food and drink discounts and freebies will be offered to participants during and after the event.
Organization: Resilient Red Hook
Location: Louis Valentino, Jr. Park and Pier, Ferris St &, Coffey St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Time: 1PM - 4PM
Registration: Required (https://goodstanding.app/tasks/ff35f8ea-237c-4a27-81f7-fb8f4a5f6e9b)
Learn more: www.resilientredhook.com
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New Yorkers live with water and so do our feathered neighbors! Learn how to use binoculars and spot the fascinating birds of the Marine Park salt marsh as we walk through a restored coastal meadow with an expert from NYC Bird Alliance. In honor of City of Water Day, this walk will focus on the waterbirds found in our local marsh, including egrets, herons, skimmers, and more. Families are welcome.
Organization: Marine Park Alliance
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center, 3301 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11234 (parking across the street)
Time: 9AM - 10:30AM
Registration: Required (https://nycbirdalliance.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/nycbirdalliance/event.jsp?event=22151)
Learn more: https://www.marineparkalliance.org/
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The Jamaica Bay Festival is a free, fun, family event taking place in Brooklyn and Queens. The Festival celebrates those who share our vision to champion the spirit of the Jamaica Bay community, the unparalleled opportunities and the natural beauty of this urban tidal estuary. Participants can enjoy free kayaking, fishing, surfing, hiking, bird watching, art, nature and more. Visit the Jamaica Bay Festival website for more information about how to join an event: jbrpc.org/jamaica-bay-festival.
Organization: Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy
Location: Multiple locations - see link below for more details
Time: 9AM - 5PM
Registration: Not required
Learn more: www.jbrpc.org/jamaica-bay-festival
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City of Water Day with the Coney Island Beautification Project will feature activities for everyone, including information tables, the Brooklyn Museum on Wheels, an art contest, games, music, prizes, tree tending, flower planting, information about climate action, and a clean-up at Coney Island Creek.
Organization: Coney Island Beautification Project
Location: Coney Island Creek Park, Kaiser Park, Bayview Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Time: 9AM - 3PMRegistration: Not required
Learn more: https://www.cibproject.org/
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Two neighborhoods. One harbor. Come celebrate City of Water Day with RETI Center and the Gowanus Dredgers on the Brooklyn waterfront. From 3–4 PM, join us shoreside for a hands-on session on water quality and the history of waterfront access in Red Hook and Gowanus. From 4–8 PM, take to the water in canoes for a community paddle and cleanup. Open to all ages and skill levels. Life jackets provided. Walk-ups welcome. Signed waivers required. No registration needed.
Organization: RETI Center
Location: Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Time: 3PM - 8PM
Registration: Not required
Learn more: www.reticenter.org
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Come visit Shirley Chisholm State Park and enjoy 10 miles of bike trails with scenic views of Jamaica Bay and visit the launch of LITTORAL/LITORAL, a new public art exhibit by Camila Morales along Hendrix Creek Road celebrating Jamaica Bay. The Bike Library opens at 10am and lends out bikes for up to 2 hours at a time. Last ride out is 4pm, with a return time of 5pm. We can only guarantee a bike if you are pre-registered. Families with small children must register and report to the Pennsylvania Avenue site. Ability to ride a bike is required. For your comfort, we recommend that you wear sneakers, bring a 16 oz water bottle.
Organization: Shirley Chisholm State Park
Locations:
- 950 Fountain Avenue, Brooklyn 11239
- 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn 11239Time: 10AM - 4PM
Registration: Required
- Fountain Ave: https://fountainbikelibrary.eventbrite.com/
- Pennsylvania Ave: https://pennbikelibrary.eventbrite.com/Learn more: https://parks.ny.gov/shirleychisholm/details.aspx
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The creation of Marine Park highlights how people have always fought for access to water for recreation and inspiration. Find out about the remarkable transformations that created the largest park in Brooklyn. Thomas J. Campanella, Historian-in-Residence of the NYC Parks Department, author of Brooklyn: The Once and Future City, will talk about the history of Marine Park.
Organization: Salt Marsh Alliance
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center, 3301 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11234 (parking across the street)
Time: 1:30PM - 2:30PM
Registration: Not required
Learn more: https://saltmarshalliance.org/
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Join the Friends of WNYC Transmitter Park on City of Water Day! Come explore this gem of a NYC waterfront park. Activities will include tours of the shoreline and gardens, along with a clean-up. There will be time for journaling and being in the moment. The event is wheelchair accessible and all ages are welcome. For more info, visit https://transmitterpark.org/about and follow @transmitter_park
Organization: Friends of WNYC Transmitter Park
Location: WNYC Transmitter Park, Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Time: 10:00am - 12:00PM
Registration: Required (https://forms.gle/XT8er2odZJJZoVHH9)
Learn more: https://transmitterpark.org
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Join us for City of Water Day on the New York Harbor waterfront to discover hands-on how we test NYC’s surface water for pathogen indicator bacteria and dissolved oxygen. Learn about some of our water quality programs and how the data we collect contributes to making NYC’s waters cleaner, safer, and more accessible for everyone. Open to all ages, microbiological demos are geared towards children.
Organization: Interstate Environmental Commission
Location: Outside of Sunset Park/Brooklyn Army Terminal Ferry Terminal, Brooklyn, NY 11220
Time: 10AM - 1PM
Registration: Not required
Learn more: www.iec-nynjct.org
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This creative outdoor experience blends art, storytelling, and nature exploration. Guided by Megan Elevado, participants will learn the ecology and history of the Bay during a relaxed nature walk, and engage with art techniques, creative prompts, and observation activities designed to deepen connections to the water and this unique urban ecosystem. Free sketchbooks & shared art materials available while supplies last. Open to all ages & artistic skill levels.
Organization: Megan Elevado & Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy
Location: 135 Aviation Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11234
Time: 10AM - 12PM
Registration: Required (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jamaica-bay-sketch-stroll-tickets-1988964871472)
Learn more: https://www.meganelevado.com/
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Join the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy and NPS for the 9th Annual Jamaica Bay Festival, a free family-friendly celebration of nature, recreation, and community held as part of City of Water Day. Kayaking for beginners is open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservation is required. Dress to get wet, wear shoes that will not fall off, and bring water, sunscreen, and a snack. Kayaks, personal floatation devices, paddles and instructions will be provided.
Organization: Jamaica Bay - Rockaway Parks Conservancy
Location: Seaplane Kayak Launch (Floyd Bennett Field), Aviation Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11234
Time: 9:30AM - 11:30AM
Registration: Not required
Learn more: www.jbrpc.org
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This public art project by Camila Morales transforms Shirley Chisholm State Park’s planters along Hendrix Creek Road and Penn Pier into a visual field guide about flooding, coastal resilience, ecology, and marine life in Jamaica Bay. Walk through the park to experience the installation as it explores the environmental systems of earth, water, and sky through large-scale graphics, ecological storytelling, and augmented reality. Inspired by marsh landscapes, migratory species, tidal rhythms, and community experiences of living with water, the project invites visitors to reflect on the changing shoreline and the interconnected relationships between people, infrastructure, and coastal ecosystems. Presented by SUBMERSE, a partnership of Sea Grant NY, the New York State Water Resources Institute, Waterfront Alliance, and New York State Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Organization: SUBMERSE
Location: Near Penn Pier, Hendrix Creek Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11207
Time: 8AM - dusk
Registration: Not required
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Sebago Canoe Club welcomes our neighbors to join in short paddling or rowing excursions on the protected waters of Paerdegat Basin. The basin is our home waterway and an ideal jumping-off point for exploring the rest of Jamaica Bay, a unique urban wildlife refuge.
Organization: Sebago Canoe Club
Location: 1400 Paerdegat Ave N, Brooklyn, NY 11236
Time: 10AM - 2PM
Registration: Optional, but encouraged (https://sebagocanoeclub.org/open-house/)
Learn more: www.sebagocanoeclub.org
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Discover the amazing biodiversity of the East River as you get hands-on and up close with our marine life touch tank. Participants 14 years of age or older can learn how to use a seine net to humanely catch and release organisms in the river. Protective waders and all equipment will be provided. This is a free program.
Organization: Brooklyn Bridge Park
Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 4 Beach, New York, NY 11201
Time: 12PM - 2PM
Registration: Required (https://brooklynbridgepark.org/event/what-lives-in-the-east-river-july-25/)
Learn more: www.brooklynbridgepark.org
