FAQs

Kickoff Event — July 23 | Hudson River Park’s Pier 84, Manhattan: A gathering of event hosts and waterfront champions featuring a community potluck, cardboard kayak race, and media engagement to build momentum for City of Water Day.

City of Water Day Events — July 25: Waterfront Alliance and the NY–NJ Harbor & Estuary Program supports 70+ community-based organizations hosting free, local waterfront events across the region.

City of Water Day events occur around the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester and Rockland counties, and New Jersey. The full list of events will be posted on this website in mid-June.

All events are free and open to the public, but some may require advance reservation. Each event’s registration requirements will be provided in the description posted to this website. Not all events will require you to register beforehand, but it’s a good idea to visit the host’s website or social media channels to get all the information you need.

Interested partners can sign up to host a City of Water Day event via the 2025 Registration Form. All registered partners will have their events displayed on our interactive City of Water Day map.

For a limited number of participating organizations, HEP can provide funding support ranging between $1,000-$4,000. This support can be used for costs associated with producing an event on City of Water Day. Grants are prioritized for programs serving environmental justice and higher-need communities. We encourage organizations to work with local artists, schools and universities, agency partners, and community-based organizations to creatively raise awareness of climate change and resilience in their local communities. The deadline to apply for small grant funding this year is May 11, 2025.

City of Water Day events are independently produced by the many partners that steward our waterfront and waterways, therefore in the case of inclement weather or unexpected circumstances, the participating partners hosting a City of Water Day program will be the ones determining whether an event is postponed or canceled. It is the responsibility of the partner organization to communicate any schedule changes to its community and/or registered attendees.

Unfortunately, if you missed the funding deadline you won’t be able to be considered for small grant support from HEP. However, organizations will still be able to request that their events be added to our website and map up until two weeks before City of Water Day. For any other questions related to the application process, please contact Liz Balladares at eballadares@hudsonriver.org.

Yes! Waterfront Alliance and New York–New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program are happy to discuss opportunities for sponsors to promote their brand and services or products at City of Water Day. Please contact David Ezer at dezer@waterfrontalliance.org for more information.

Waterfront Alliance’s Cardboard Kayak Race was a popular part of the programming in earlier years of City of Water Day. This year, we are bringing it back as part of a partner kick-off event on July 23 at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84 in Manhattan.

If you are interested in participating in the cardboard kayak race, please contact David Ezer at dezer@waterfrontalliance.org to be considered and/or matched with a team.

For any other questions related to the small grant application process, please contact Liz Balladares at eballadares@hudsonriver.org.

For any questions related to event logistics or sponsorship, please contact David Ezer at dezer@waterfrontalliance.org.

For any media related questions, please contact Aria Cochran at acochran@waterfrontalliance.org.