#PickoftheWeek | Kayaks, Paddleboards, Birds, Fish, Music! Jamaica Bay Festival Is July 15
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Spread out of roughly 18,000 acres, Jamaica Bay features estuaries, islands, marshes, open water, osprey nests, salt marshes, sand dunes, and woodlands. It’s a fantastic place for fishing, hiking, and kayaking. Plus, bird-watchers report having seen at least 330 species – almost half the total species in the Northeast – there over the last 25 years.
Enjoy it all during the Jamaica Bay Festival on Saturday, July 15, starting at 8 am. (Don’t worry. The fun goes on all day. You don’t have to wake up that early.)
This sixth annual event takes place on both sides of the Rockaway peninsula (ocean and bay), the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and the entire Brooklyn side, from Shirley Chisholm State Park down to Floyd Bennett Field.
Events are free. A few follow.
Learn to play pickleball at Beach 104th Street at Shorefront Parkway and Rockaway Boardwalk at 9 am.
Do yoga on the roof at The Rockaway Hotel, 108-10 Rockaway Beach Dr., at 10:30 am.
At 11 am, take off in kayaks and paddleboards from the Community Boathouse, located in the vicinity of Bay Breeze Park, Beach 88th Street, and Beach Channel Drive.
Meet at the visitor center at 175-10 Cross Bay Blvd. at 2 pm and take a nature walk with a National Park Service ranger.
Head to the Rockaway Beach Amphitheater (Shorefront Parkway and Beach 94th Street) for a screening of Muppet Treasure Island at 7 pm.
Or click here for the entire schedule and a map.
Jamaica Bay Festival coincides with City of Water Day in 2023. Thus, a few extra activities are planned. The entire effort is made possible through partnership with government agencies, nonprofits and businesses throughout Jamaica Bay. Supporters include Waterfront Alliance, NY/NJ Harbor & Estuary Program, Hudson River Foundation, Con Edison, NYC Ferry (official transportation partner), and Sperry (official shoe sponsor).