This is the one day a year the little red lighthouse under the great gray bridge is actually open, and the structure is over 140 years old and fragile enough that the Rangers cap tours at 200 people. Around it, the lawn fills with music, readings of the picture book that made the lighthouse famous, and Washington Heights community tables. If you want inside, get there before noon, because tour tickets are first come, first served.
What to expect
You come down to the river through Fort Washington Park and find the festival spread on the grass at the base of the bridge tower. Tour tickets are handed out on arrival for timed 40-minute windows and run out; everything else on the day is walk-up. The Hudson is right there, so the wind off the water decides what you should be wearing.
Good to know
- Take the A to 175th Street or the 1 to 181st Street, then walk down through Fort Washington Park to the river
- Lighthouse tours are capped at the first 200 people and are first come, first served
- Arrive before noon if getting inside the lighthouse matters to you
- The walk down to the waterfront is steep in places, so plan for the climb back
- Bring a windproof layer; the riverside is colder than the street above
- Excellent for young children, who tend to know the book already
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Common questions
Can I go inside the lighthouse?
Only if you get one of the limited tour slots. The lighthouse needs care, so the Rangers run a reduced number of first-come, first-served tours capped at 200 total attendees, in timed 40-minute windows.
Does it cost anything?
No. NYC Parks lists the festival as free, and there is no registration to attend the festival itself.
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