The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) is gearing up to celebrate the New York City and New Jersey waterfront next weekend during City of Water Day on Saturday, July 18, with festivities centered on Governors Island and Hoboken’s Maxwell Place Park–and dozens of additional neighborhood locations around the city. 
City of Water Day is even offering free boat tours, and online reservations begin today, July 10, at 1PM. Reservations are required, and there is a fully refundable $5 reservation fee per person. The boat tours are the perfect opportunity for you and to learn about water in the metropolitan area, and experience a ride on a ferry, tall ship, tugboat, fireboat, or schooner. There’s no better way to celebrate water than being able to peacefully coast across it—at no cost. Check the site for more details.
The celebration boasts hundreds of fun and instructive waterfront activities that run from 10am until 4pm, providing an educational and festive day for the entire family. The event caters to all ages and provides all types of entertainment. If you’re craving action, you can partake in cardboard kayak races or canoeing. If you’d prefer to stay dry and take in the views of the harbor instead, there are learning stations sponsored by the Bronx Children’s Museum, Disney, the Brooklyn Public Library, and many more. For those in the mood for a summer stroll, walk around Governors Island’s lush grass and stop to learn about different bodies of water and how to protect the environment, and preserve water, at various informational booths. Don’t worry about getting too hungry; the festival is lined with food vendors and yummy snacks.
MWA is an alliance of hundreds of organizations that work to transform the waters of New York and the New Jersey Harbor into cleaner and more accessible regions, with parks, eco-friendly transportation, and both play and work stations. Next weekend, get out and enjoy the waterfront they’re working so hard to preserve!
To learn more about City of Water Day, visit cityofwaterday.org!
