Mamdani Opens Outdoor Pools as WPA Pools Hit 90

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and NYC Parks officials kicked off the 2026 outdoor pool season at the Thomas Jefferson Pool in East Harlem, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the City’s 11 WPA-built Olympic-sized public pools and touting expanded free programming

The first splash came the way summer usually does in New York—sudden, loud, and unmistakably public.

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura joined local families at the Thomas Jefferson Pool in East Harlem to mark the opening of the 2026 outdoor pool season. This year’s kickoff also carries a milestone: it’s the 90th anniversary of the City’s 11 Olympic-sized public pools built through the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

“It’s no secret why outdoor pool opening day is marked with fanfare every year: our public pools are beloved places to cool off on hot days. make memories with friends and learn the lifelong skill of swimming. ” Mamdani said. “Ninety years ago, our City opened 11 massive Olympic-sized outdoor public pools to provide safe recreation for working New Yorkers. That legacy reminds us what government can achieve when it invests in great public works projects. I’m proud to be one of the more than a million New Yorkers who will enjoy our pools this summer and hope our neighbors are ready to pack their swimsuits and jump in!”.

Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson framed the moment in familiar terms for New Yorkers already counting down to summer heat.

“It’s time for families to put on their swimsuits. dig up their goggles and pack their towels for a day at the pool. because summer is here in New York City!” Kerson said. “There’s no better way to cool off in the sun than to take a dip in one of our many outdoor pools that are now open for New Yorkers to enjoy. Thank you to the Parks workers and lifeguards who make our parks and pools possible every day.”.

Commissioner Tricia Shimamura tied the celebration to the city’s everyday mission—water safety, fitness, and access.

“Our outdoor pools are synonymous with summer in New York City. They’re where children first learn to swim. and where New Yorkers can go to beat the heat. stay fit and connect with each other. all for free. ” Shimamura said. “We’re thrilled to kick off another season at our outdoor pools and to provide even more New Yorkers with essential water safety skills and fitness opportunities thanks to expanded programming. We’re also celebrating the 90th anniversary of our WPA-era pools. shining examples of how incredible public works can serve New Yorkers. generation after generation.”.

This season, NYC Parks says it is expanding programming aimed at getting more people—at different ages and skill levels—into the water.

Adult lap swim is growing. NYC Parks will expand its popular adult lap swim program from five pools to 10 pools. with two locations in each borough. Lap swim runs Monday through Friday from 7 to 8:30 a.m., before pools open for general swimming. Participating pools are Claremont and Van Cortlandt in the Bronx; Kosciuszko and McCarren in Brooklyn; Gottesman and Hamilton Fish in Manhattan; Astoria and Liberty in Queens; and Faber and Lyons on Staten Island.

For older New Yorkers, Senior Splash returns this summer to five outdoor pools—one in each borough—offering free water aerobics classes for New Yorkers 62 and older. Classes will be held three days a week at Astoria, Lyons, Sunset Park, Thomas Jefferson and Van Cortlandt pools.

The city is also expanding Learn to Swim classes. Earlier this month. Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Shimamura announced the expansion of free summer Learn to Swim classes from 10 to 18 outdoor pools. creating more than 16. 000 class slots. The program offers free swim lessons for children ages 18 months to 17 years. and NYC Parks says it is saving families hundreds of dollars while helping young New Yorkers build lifelong water safety skills. Registration is open now.

NYC Parks says swim programming runs from July 6 through Aug. 28, and more information is available on the Parks website.

All of it is happening under the umbrella of the free outdoor pool season itself. NYC Parks says the City’s free outdoor pools are open daily from June 27 through Sept. 13, with mini pools closing Sept. 7. Pools run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with a break for cleaning from 3 to 4 p.m. Admission is free and open to all. Visitors are encouraged to bring a swimsuit. towel. and a sturdy lock for locker room storage. and NYC Parks says free sunscreen is available at every outdoor pool.

The city is also partnering again with the Department of Education to provide free lunches at pool sites across the city. Meals are available to all New Yorkers 18 and younger, with no identification or registration required.

For residents trying to find the closest option to cool down or take a class, NYC Parks directs people to the Parks Outdoor Pools page and the Cool It! NYC map, which includes spray showers, drinking fountains, and other cooling resources across the five boroughs.

Underneath the daily schedule, this summer’s 90th anniversary celebration is anchored in a specific set of pools and dates.

NYC Parks says that in 1936. 11 Olympic-sized outdoor pools were opened within weeks of one another as part of one of the largest public works projects in city history. funded through the federal WPA. At the time. the pools represented some of the most advanced public recreational facilities in the country. featuring state-of-the-art design. filtration and chlorination.

To mark the milestone, NYC Parks will distribute commemorative towels and collectible buttons depicting the distinctive design of each pool. The first 200 guests on each pool’s anniversary date will receive the items.

The 11 WPA-era pools include:

Astoria Pool, Queens: Opened July 2, 1936. Astoria remains New York City’s largest pool and hosted the U.S. Olympic Swim and Diving Team Trials in 1936 and 1964.

Betsy Head Pool, Brooklyn: Opened Aug. 6, 1936. It replaced a pool dating to 1915, and before 1936 it was one of only two outdoor pools in the Parks system.

Crotona Pool, the Bronx: Opened July 24, 1936. Its bathhouse features WPA-era animal sculptures created by Frederick George Richard Roth that remain visible today.

Hamilton Fish Pool, Manhattan: Opened June 24, 1936. The U.S. Olympic Team trained here before the 1952 Helsinki Games.

Highbridge Pool, Manhattan: Opened July 14, 1936, adjacent to the historic High Bridge Water Tower on the site of the former High Bridge Reservoir.

Jackie Robinson Pool, Manhattan: Opened Aug. 8, 1936, as “Colonial Park Pool.” The dedication ceremony featured Bill “Bojangles” Robinson performing “Battle Hymn of the Republic” before a crowd of 25,000.

Joseph H. Lyons Pool, Staten Island: Opened July 7, 1936. At the dedication, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia called the facility “a monument to the progressive government which would not and could not see unemployed men on the breadline.”

McCarren Pool, Brooklyn: Opened July 31, 1936. Designed to accommodate 6,800 bathers at once, its bathhouse remains one of the largest in the Parks system.

Red Hook Pool, Brooklyn: Opened Aug. 17, 1936, before a crowd of 40,000. The New York Times called it “Red Hook’s event of the year.”

Sunset Park Pool, Brooklyn: Opened July 20, 1936, when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia dramatically switched on the pool’s underwater lighting system.

Thomas Jefferson Pool, Manhattan: Opened June 27, 1936, before approximately 10,000 people who gathered to celebrate what was described as “the last word in engineering, hygiene and construction.”

With the 2026 season now underway at Thomas Jefferson Pool. the message from City Hall was clear: summer access isn’t just a perk here—it’s a long-running public project. And this year. it comes with a milestone that stretches from the WPA era to today’s families. ready to swim. learn. and cool off together.

NYC outdoor pools Zohran Kwame Mamdani Tricia Shimamura Thomas Jefferson Pool WPA pools 90th anniversary Learn to Swim adult lap swim Senior Splash NYC Parks