Rockaway Beach Opens With New Upgrades Just In Time For The Summer

QUEENS — Swimmers and surfers heading to Rockaway Beach this summer will notice a few upgrades in the Peninsula, an area that's still recouping amid the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

From stages to playgrounds, NYC Parks officials injected $33.07 million to fund six projects in Rockaway and plans to have them all open by the end of the summer.

"The Rockaways and our parks are worth investing in," said NYC Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. "For too long, public space on the peninsula has not received its fair share of the City's attention and spending.

A seating area was added on Shorefront Parkway between Beach 92nd and 94th Streets, which includes an inlaid labyrinth, game tables, drinking fountains, and bike racks.

A performance space also opened up for theatrical and musical performances, community events, and worship services, and features a large screen for movie screenings. The new flagpole was also placed at the Beach 94-95th Street Gateway Plaza and Performance Space.

The city reconstructed Beach 59th Street Playground, adding new play equipment, rubber safety surfacing, and spray showers.

All three spaces are now open.

In the coming months, a multipurpose area on Shorefront Parkway and Beach 77th Street will open to the public. The space will have a pair of sand volleyball courts with stadium seating, a play lawn, table tennis tables, and adult fitness equipment.

Nameoke Park will open later this summer, offering New Yorkers 0.32 acres of parkland on the corner of Nameoke and Augustina Avenues. The park will have benches, game tables, an adult fitness area, two play units for children, and a shower.

A new playground on Beach 98th Street will open in early summer, adding shaded seating and bathrooms to the space.

NYC Parks beaches open this year for swimming on May 27, 2023.