Bring your big rubber ducky: ‘Floatopia’ this weekend on Camden waterfront
Floatopia is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 15 at Pyne Point Park in Camden with live music and free food.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/BRZ6VLAPUVELVM6DDHTJMGYU4I.jpg)
If you’re looking for something unique to do outdoors on what looks like another sweltering Saturday, the fourth annual Floatopia might quench the quest.
The nonprofit Upstream Alliance is hosting the event in a back channel off the Delaware River waterfront in Camden. The water is clean enough for people using inner tubes, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and, of course, inflatable animals.
Floatopia is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 15 at Pyne Point Park in Camden, with live music and free food. Participants will launch from the park and float up the back channel and back down with the tide.
Floatopia is free and open to adults and children.
“The event is a demonstration of support for clean water and for access to the waterways,” said Don Baugh, executive director of Upstream Alliance. “People want to swim and play in the river, and while it is safe to do so on many days, we want to be able to do it on all days. We hope the event will get the attention of local leaders to continue cleaning up our river, and to take advantage of federal funding now available to do so.”
Baugh said it’s safe for novices. Life jackets are required for kids under 12, but recommended for all. There is no commercial traffic in the back channel and the event has a special permit from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Baugh said the water is clean enough for contact, but that they won’t float if Camden gets more than a half-inch of rain anytime 48 hours prior to the event. They’ll still have the event if so, but just won’t float.
Organizers are asking participants to register ahead through an online form.
The 15-acre Pyne Point Park is located in Camden between 6th, 7th, and Erie Streets and is adjacent to the Delaware River. It has a baseball field, handball wall, and two basketball courts. It is also next to Pyne Point Marina and near Petty Island.