City of Water Day at Maxwell Place Park celebrates Hoboken’s unique connection to the Hudson River on July 25

FBW | July 16, 2026

In its 19th year, City of Water Day — celebrating the waterways that connect us — returns to the shorelines of the metropolitan region with dozens of community organizations and boating organizations participating. City of Water Day in Hoboken is held each year at Maxwell Place Park sponsored by Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW), Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse, Resilience Adventures and Ke Aloha Outrigger Canoe. In 2001, FBW was instrumental in establishing Maxwell Place Park working with the original developers of that site.

The day will be filled with free, family-oriented recreation as well as waterfront advocacy. Be sure to join the City of Water Day scavenger hunt to explore what can be learned along Hoboken’s shoreline. Here are a few things you might uncover:

• Common Terns are migratory birds that fly as far south as Argentina and Chile. A tern colony has returned to a Hoboken pier for the past 9 years to nest, mate and raise their young. 
• Maxwell Place Park has the only natural sand beach south of the GW Bridge on either side of the Hudson River and has become a popular destination for kayakers throughout the region.
• Noelle Thurlow of Resilience Adventures conducted a biodiversity study that identified over 70 species at Hoboken’s north waterfront.
• Ke Aloha Outrigger Canoes are modeled after traditional Polynesian boats, dating back 3,000 years.

Come to the event and complete the scavenger hunt, to learn about our waterfront and win a prize!

Start your day with a relaxing, meditative experience. Urban Souls Yoga will be leading  a gentle morning yoga class and sound bath on the grass of Maxwell Park overlooking the Hudson River. This class is open to all skill levels and is beginner-friendly. Bring your own yoga mat. (See day’s schedule below and click on organizational links for details.)

Come out and observe Hoboken’s Honorary Bird, the Common Tern, at the public pier off of 12th street. Mr. Train, co-founder of Our Tern, will answer questions and have binoculars and scopes to help you see the nesting birds up close.  

Noelle Thurlow of Resilience Adventures will supply nets for scooping up maritime wildlife in the river for closer examination, an opportunity to learn about the diverse biology at the water’s edge, a popular activity for the younger set. 

Are you fed up with the constant thumping sound of helicopters flying overhead, degrading our ability to enjoy our beloved waterfront? You will have an opportunity to sign several petitions being circulated by Stop the Chop, one of several nonprofit organizations who are participating in City of Water Day. Other organizations include Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy which is responsible for overseeing the completion of the 18.5-mile state-mandated walkway that runs along the Hudson River from the Bayonne Bridge up to the George Washington Bridge; North Hudson Sewerage Authority that will provide information on its latest efforts to improve Hoboken’s flood resiliency and the water quality in the Hudson River; Hoboken Pollina TERNS that is providing habitat for wildlife; and Fund for a Better Waterfront that has provided the vision for a continuous, public park along Hoboken’s shoreline.