JAMAICA BAY FESTIVAL

The Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy is hosting the 6th Annual Jamaica Bay Festival on City of Water Day, Saturday, July 15, 2023.

(NEW YORK – July 11, 2023) The Jamaica Bay Festival is a free, fun, family-friendly event taking place in Brooklyn and Queens. The Festival celebrates the unparalleled recreational opportunities and the natural beauty of this urban tidal estuary. Participants can enjoy free kayaking, fishing, surfing, hiking, bird watching, art, nature, and more. This year, JBRPC is partnering with 36 local community groups to host 39 events from morning ‘til night!

The Jamaica Bay Festival provides an opportunity for participants to engage in a wide variety of recreational and educational activities. Visitors and community members alike will enjoy improved access to the Bay as we activate the waterfront from vast natural areas to playgrounds to Jamaica Bay's marsh islands. JBRPC is leading the effort to strengthen Jamaica Bay communities through healthy, outdoor activities that support education and stewardship through recreation.

"Approximately 3 million New Yorkers live around Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway peninsula -- an area that also includes over 10,000 acres of public parklands, 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches, and 18,000 acres of open water, marsh islands, and fringe marsh wetlands" said Terri Carta, Executive Director of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. "Reconnecting with our waterfront has never been more important, whether for recreational activities, learning opportunities, health and wellness, jobs, or arts and culture. The Jamaica Bay Festival on City of Water Day presents an unparalleled collection of community-led events focused on connecting people with the vast natural and cultural resources of the area. More than 36 local partners will welcome new and regular audiences to partake in the diverse activities that make Jamaica Bay and Rockaway unique. There's free fun for the whole family, from the annual kayak parade in the morning to a movie screening on the Boardwalk in the evening. Join us for a day of fun!"

“I applaud the Jamaica Bay Festival for its observance of City Water Day. The 6th annual Jamaica Bay Festival on July 15th, 2023 marks a continued commitment by government, non-profits and the private sector to not just celebrate but cherish natural areas such as Fresh Creek and Jamaica Bay,” said State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “The net benefit for SD 19 constituents is the ability to interact with nature and appreciate the area in all its glory.”

New York Assemblywoman Jaime Williams said, “I am proud to be a supporter of JPRPC and to participate again in the Jamaica Bay Festival. JPRPC is a vital organization dedicated to protecting and preserving our waterways and aquatic life. They also educate our communities about the importance of maintaining and understanding our natural resources and the beauty of Jamaica Bay. I look forward to all the events scheduled in the city, especially those in the 59th Assembly District.

“Jamaica Bay is a vital part of District 32, and it is amazing to see it celebrated with this festival year after year,” NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola said. “All too often, we tend to take for granted just how amazing this body of water really is. This event helps to remind us just how lucky we are to live on the shores of Jamaica Bay, and also just how much the Bay really provides us and adds to our lives.”

“The Jamaica Bay Festival is a celebration of one of New York’s most beautiful natural features,” said NYC Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. “I am grateful for organizations like Edgemere Alliance and Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy that help steward our urban environment, and I’m proud to support this wonderful event.”

“The Jamaica Bay Festival opens a host of wonderful outdoor activities to New Yorkers right here in District 46. Thanks to the work and advocacy of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy these beautiful outdoor spaces, right in our backyard, are maintained and made accessible to all to use, enjoy and explore. I look forward to a fun festival full of happiness and enjoyment of one of the jewels of our city, Jamaica Bay” said NYC Council Member Mercedes Narcisse.

“The Jamaica Bay Festival is an opportunity for diverse communities living along the Jamaica Bay shore, to gather, engage and connect with the community for some fun in the sun and water recreational activities in our own backyard. The Garden by the Bay is happy to be a part of this wonderful annual festival, celebrating the vibrancy and beauty of the majestic Jamaica Bay and its local estuary ecosystem,” said Jackie Rogers, President of The Garden by the Bay and Edgemere Alliance.

Harold Paez, Community Boathouse said, “The Community Boathouse is proud to support the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy with this year's Jamaica Bay Festival. This national park space is a unique natural resource within the urban environment of NYC. The wildlife, marshlands, and waterways of this area provide a vital connection between the public and our natural environment. The Jamaica Bay Festival is a celebration of these beautiful resources available to the public year round, and we're looking forward to a wonderful day of activities with participants from all over the city.

Beth Eller, Commodore, Sebago Canoe Club said, “Sebago Canoe Club has been a City of Water Day - Jamaica Bay Festival participant since its inception. Every year our members look forward to inviting the community to join us on guided 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. It's an opportunity to provide the community access to the water that surrounds them.”

The Jamaica Bay Festival is made possible through partnership with government agencies, non-profit organizations and businesses throughout Jamaica Bay in both 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.

Additional public funding is provided through the offices of NYC Council Members Joann Ariola, Mercedes Narcisse, and Selvena Brooks-Powers, and New York Assembly Members Jaime Williams and Stacey Pheffer-Amato.

About Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy:

Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) is a public-private partnership established in 2013 that is dedicated to improving the 10,000+ acres of public parklands throughout Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway peninsula for local residents and visitors alike. With its partners at the National Park Service, New York Office of Parks & Historic Preservation, and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, JBRPC works to expand public access; increase recreational and educational opportunities; foster community stewardship and volunteerism; preserve and restore natural areas, including wetland and wildlife habitat; enhance cultural resources; and ensure the long-term sustainability of the parklands.

Contact: Elizabeth Stoehr, JBRPC Assistant Director, elizabeth@jbrpc.org, 703-597-8378

Website: JamacaBayFestival.com | Instagram: @jbrpc | Facebook: @JBRPConservancy | Twitter: @JBRPC | #CityOfWaterDay #JamaicaBayFestival