Lower Manhattan's Brooklyn Bridge Beach Will Open For Water Day

LOWER MANHATTAN, NY — A sliver of sand beneath the Brooklyn Bridge will open to the public in the 12th annual City of Water Day Saturday.

A cardboard kayak race and other waterfront activities will return to the waterfront, after the Brooklyn Bridge Beach was opened up to the public last summer for the annual festival organized by the Waterfront Alliance. Though the beach is typically shut-off and littered with debris and garbage, city-planned esplanade upgrades have spurred waterfront advocates to push the city to permanently open the beach to the public, to no avail as of yet.

But for one day, the beach will open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for free kayaking for the public. From 3 to 4 p.m., there will be beach activities, per the Waterfront Alliance. The exact location of the beach is just under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side.

The cardboard kayak race is a highlight of the waterfront day. Here's a video from the annual activity's 2015 race.

Want to check it out? Though registration to participate in the cardboard kayak race is closed, here's the schedule to watch:

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. — Cardboard kayak building at Peck Slip Plaza with 15 teams
12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. — Judges give awards for best kayak designs
1 - 1:30 p.m. — Cardboard kayak parade from Peck Slip Plaza to Brooklyn Bridge Beach
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. — Race at Brooklyn Bridge Beach
2:30 p.m. — Awards ceremony at Brooklyn Bridge Beach

The water festival will promote connecting neighbors to some 1,600 miles of coastline in the five boroughs as well as Westchester County and New Jersey.

"This year on City of Water Day, as we gather at shorelines all around the metropolitan region to enjoy our beautiful waterways, let us engage in important conversations about resiliency and access," Roland Lewis, president of the Waterfront Alliance, said in a statement. "This is a day to play, and a day to acknowledge our shared responsibility. As climate change irrevocably transforms our lives, we need to address this regional, national, and global emergency together."

Here's what else you need to know about the City of Water Day:

When is it?

Saturday, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where is it?

Water Day will be headquartered in Lower Manhattan at Piers 16 and 17, but events are scheduled in all five boroughs, Westchester County and New Jersey.

See what events led by neighborhood-based sponsors are in your neighborhood on the Waterfront Alliance's handy map.

What activities are scheduled?

Free kayaking, boat tours, coastal clean-ups, fishing, science experiments and more are slated for the day. Boat tours with Free Port NYC Boat Tours will be offered throughout the city, including at Piers 15, 16, 62 and 66 in Manhattan.

For more information, see the Waterfront Alliance's guide.