The idea for Waterfront Wednesdays was born in 2019 when Sam Merret of The Hudson Sloop Club offered free boat rides during the Hudson Black Arts and Cultural Festival. The Black Arts Festival was started by Elena Mosley of Operation Unite New York and is the longest-running festival in Hudson. The popularity of this blend of on-shore and on-the-water community-focused programming inspired Elena and Sam to reboot the idea the following year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Waterfront Wednesdays has grown to span from Independence Day through Labor Day hosting weekly offerings that activate both the park and the estuary with activities for residents and visitors alike. Each week features different visiting vessels for on-the-water excursions and lighthouse visits with free events for kids, a drum circle, a live performance, and a marketplace for artists, artisans, and chefs to sell their wares.
Each week, Waterfront Wednesdays also plays host to one or more free live performance events, and this year we thought to try something new in our programming in an effort to be even more inclusive. Through our partnerships with the SPARK Arts Circle, and the Hudson Arts Coalition, we invited a different community arts organization to program each week’s content. These groups ranged from the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, the Hudson Opera House, The Social Justice Leadership Academy, the New York State Dance Force, The Hudson Eye, and others. This allowed us to bring in voices and stakeholders from many aspects of our community with programming and activities centering youth, the lgbtq community, the bipoc community, differently-abled persons, and seniors through strategic partnerships. We added multi-lingual signage throughout the city and encouraged all of our vendors and community partners to do the same.
Initially, we chose Wednesdays for our event series after speaking with members of the Hudson business community, especially those in the hospitality sector, to address the dearth of midweek programming in Hudson. We saw this as a way to impact tourism growth while also benefiting local residents – and so far we’ve had great results.
We are able to provide help and relief to our city's arts, and culture creators whom we know are vital to the continued vibrancy of our diverse population. This series also gives tourists and community members a focused opportunity to experience the Hudson River’s natural beauty and history through experiential and educational opportunities. And by creating more access points for commerce, tourism, and activity during the week, we can build a more sustainable future for the City of Hudson.
The various threads of this project - on the stage, at the market, and in the water - reinforce and support one another. And while traditional venues tend to emphasize weekend programming, whose halls get filled with tourists, our midweek offerings help to encourage broader engagement that includes local and regional engagement as well.
Each year Waterfront Wednesdays has grown and evolved as we learn and solicit community feedback and we continue to do so in myriad ways. Please be in touch if you have any thoughts or ideas. WE look forward to connecting!
Waterfront Wednesdays Board of Advisors
LOKI ANTHONY, DANNY AMEND, NICK DIXON, SELHA GRAHAM, NEA MCKINNEY, SAM MERRETT, ELENA MOSLEY, STEPHANIE H MONSEU, ADRIANA TAMPASIS, KATE TREACY, ADAM WEINERT
