New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
09/09/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2025 09:29
NYC PARKS CELEBRATES A SUCCESSFUL SUMMER 2025 SEASON, WELCOMING MORE THAN 9 MILLION VISITORS AT BEACHES AND OUTDOOR POOLS
Lifeguard staffing increased 27 percent in past two years
Free summer Learn to Swim classes expanded to 10 pools; popular lap swim programming returned for first time in five years
NYC Parks has closed out a successful summer season, where more than 8 million people visited the city's public beaches and over 1 million patrons cooled off at outdoor pools. In addition, Parks increased its corps of lifeguards, opened a brand-new pool, expanded the number of free Learn to Swim classes, and brought back adult lap swim programming for the first time since the pandemic.
Parks beaches and outdoor pools officially closed for the season on Sunday, September 7. Swimming is no longer permitted.
"Parks has been laser focused on rebuilding our lifeguard corps, and we're proud to say we've done just that, increasing staffing by 27 percent in the past two years. This summer, we also brought back Adult Lap Swim and expanded our free Learn to Swim lessons to teach even more kids important water safety skills," said NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. "Our public pools and beaches have become increasingly crucial as climate change brings higher temperatures, and I'm so proud of the Parks staff - from lifeguards, Parks Enforcement Patrol, maintenance and operations workers, aquatics instructors, along with many others - who worked hard to make summer fun happen for over 9 million visitors this season."
Thanks to an aggressive recruitment campaign and expansion of training opportunities, Parks had 1,082 lifeguards staffing pools and beaches in summer 2025 - the highest total since 2019. This included a 23 percent increase in new recruits from 2024. Parks also had an 80 percent retention rate for lifeguards returning from last year, surpassing the average annual retention rate of 70 percent prior to 2024. These gains in lifeguard staffing come after the city's agreement with District Council 37 last year to permanently improve the pay of city lifeguards to $22 per hour, along with providing returning lifeguards with a $1,000 annual bonus.
Our brave lifeguards conducted more than 225 beach rescues throughout the summer, ensuring the safety of millions of attendees. Our Parks Enforcement Patrol officers also worked hard to patrol beaches, keep them safe, and respond to emergencies both before and after lifeguard hours.
Other highlights from the summer season:
New Gottesman Pool opens - Parks opened the new Gottesman Pool, part of the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer, a $160 million project led by the Central Park Conservancy. Replacing the former Lasker Pool and Rink, the new elongated oval pool measures 285 by 120 feet and is among the largest public pools in New York City. It welcomed more than 68,000 guests this summer. Built into the site's natural topography, the pool transforms into an ice rink in winter and a multi-use turf field in spring and fall, ensuring year-round use.
Summer Learn to Swim expanded - Parks expanded free outdoor Learn to Swim programming from six to 10 pools this summer, furthering our commitment to expanding access to critical swim safety education. The program served 5,996 youth and parents with tots throughout all five boroughs.
Adult Lap Swim returns - This popular program returned this summer for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, hosting more than 2,000 participants. Van Cortlandt, Kosciuszko, Hamilton Fish, Astoria, and Lyons pools were open for the public to swim laps on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m., allowing fitness-minded New Yorkers to take to the water without interruption from other swimmers. In addition, Parks brought back its Lap Swim Awards ceremony to honor individuals who swam the farthest distances this season.
Senior Splash - Held at one pool per borough, including Thomas Jefferson, Sunset Park, Van Cortlandt, Lyons, and Astoria, this free water aerobics class provided seniors age 62 and up with a chance to stay fit while enjoying the water, and served more than 300 participants.
Beach wheelchair online reservations - To ensure that our beaches are accessible for all, Parks provides beach wheelchairs at no cost to navigate along our beaches. This year, Parks unveiled a Beach Wheelchair Request Form for guests to reserve a beach wheelchair in advance of their visit to the beach.
Tompkins Square Park mini-pool reopens - The mini-pool at Tompkins Square Park reopened this summer for the first time since the pandemic, following the completion of a capital project to renovate the park's fieldhouse. Tompkins Square will receive a new in-ground pool that will double the capacity of the current pool, following a $6.1 grant from Governor Kathy Hochul's New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative.
Water safety education - Our lifeguards participated in school assembly events to inform young New Yorkers how to stay safe in the water and to promote work as a city lifeguard.
John Jay Diving Pool - The diving pool at John Jay Pool complex in Manhattan reopened this summer for the first time since 2019.
This summer, NYC Parks opened 52 outdoor pools and 8 beaches citywide, all free for public use. This year, beaches opened for swimming on Saturday, May 24 and pools opened on Friday, June 27.
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation published this content on September 09, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 09, 2025 at 15:29 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]