Riverside Conservancy Will 'Make The Park Virtual' This Summer

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — Limits on gatherings won't keep Riverside Park Conservancy from celebrating summer this year, the organization announced Friday.

The waterfront park conservancy has unveiled a line-up of online programs, launching June 1, that will help "make the park virtual" for New Yorkers staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The digital events, classes and even dance parties will replace the usual "Summer on the Hudson" program, which brings more than 250 summer activities Riverside Park each year.

"Summer on the Hudson's mission is to offer quality cultural programming to the public at no cost," said Whitney Dearden, director of programming for the Conservancy, a press release. "We're thrilled to continue providing this service to New Yorkers by pivoting to virtual events during this time, and look forward to seeing our audience online!"

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The Summer on the Hudson series typically brings tens of thousands of people to Riverside Park each year and includes programs like weekly Zumba classes, ecology education workshops and silent disco parties on the Pier, the organization said.

The online line-up will offer similar options, like virtual workout classes, musical storytimes and more. The events will all be available on Zoom.

“It’s been, to say the least, a choppy start to our programming season,” Conservancy President Dan Garodnick said. “That said, we’ve got a lot of fun virtual stuff coming down the pike.”

For information on these programs, visit the Summer on the Hudson webpage for schedule, streaming details, and registration instructions.

The organization also suggested following Summer on the Hudson’s social media channels — on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — for the latest updates and information on digital programming.

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