Brooklyn Bridge Beach Will Open To Public For City Of Water Day

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — Brooklyn Bridge Beach will open to the public for 12 hours Sunday as part of the annual City of Water Day celebration, accord to the group behind the festival.

The shuttered city-owned beach is tucked under the Manhattan-side of the Brooklyn Bridge where advocates have long fought to increase public access to the beach. The city's Economic Development Corporation aimed to revitalize the shore but concerns about sewage overflow, strong currents and project costs have put the beach's future up in the air.

Organizers behind the Saturday July 14, City of Water Day hope the opening is a step towards greater access to the beach.

“We’ve been advocate to increase access to this unique beach and generally what is a rare access point for the communities in Lower Manhattan,” Roland Lewis, the president and CEO of the Waterfront Alliance told Patch. “This is a start and we're glad that beach can be safely used. Hopefully we'll be able to host more activities on the beach after this."

Come Saturday, the beach will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will host the sixth annual Con Edison Cardboard Kayak Race at 8:30 a.m. along with free kayak lessons, a beach cleanup and water testing, explained Lewis.

The City of Water Day festival hopes to encourage New Yorkers to take advantage of New York Harbor and neighboring waterway with the bulk of the celebration's events at piers 16 and 17 at the South Street Seaport.

Photo courtesy of the Waterfront Alliance