Fifty concerts. Fifty days. Fifty boat parties. 150+ artists. One city: New York.
If there is one bright spot in the economy these days, it’s live entertainment, which came raging back last summer and hasn’t stopped since. According to Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, demand for live music has never been higher. In April, the company’s Coachella Valley Music Festival hit attendence records in the California desert. Now, with summer approaching, it’s time to cool off and hit the water; specifically, the iconic Hudson River.
So say the owners of iBoatNYC, a floating concert and party series that started in 2010 as a 150-person boat party and has grown to hundreds of events in an exclusive partnership with industry leader Hornblower Cruises & Events. iBoatNYC is now the largest multi-genre music experience on Manhattan’s waterways, providing audiences with live music and nighttime sightseeing from the Statue of Liberty to the Upper Hudson Valley.
As any New Yorker will tell you, you’ve got to get out of the city to really see it. There’s no better way to catch the city lights than from the water on a summer night. The sights are even better if you’re floating in from the majestic Hudson Valley, home to centuries-old estates and West Point, among other attractions.
This sets a high bar, but iBoatNYC’s executives promise that the music will be equally spectacular. Working in partnership with Crust Nation, a NYC-based talent booking and marketing agency, since 2019 has resulted in its entertainment programming expanding by more than fifty concerts, all of which feature star-studded lineups, exciting nightlife, and unforgettable sights. This year’s international A-list talent includes TroyBoi, DJ Paul Oakenfeld, and Croatia Squad. Promoters say to expect club-level energy and a vacation-like ambience, but on the waters just off Manhattan, rather than the meatpacking district or East Hampton.
Each iBoatNYC concert is conceived as a unique, mini-festival experience, featuring sun decks, cocktail bars, and, of course, dance floors. The lighting and sound are what you would expect at a high-end nightclub or concert venue. Genre nights run the gamut from Latin Salsa to Hip Hop, to Reggaeton and EDM. There will even be a special cruise in memory of late hip-hop pioneer and New York native Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered in 1997.
As iBoatNYC’s website asks, what better way to soak in New York City’s culture? Where better for world travelers to (once again) get a chance to mingle with local New Yorkers while dancing to their favorite DJs?
The festivities kicked off on May 3rd. Hornbower’s mega yachts will be sailing and rocking through September 15th, ten days after Labor Day, which typically marks the return of Manhattanites from vacations and summer homes in the Hamptons, Maine, and Cape Cod. Even those who summer outside of the city will get the chance to experience what iBoatNYC calls, “without a doubt, the biggest concert series ever to rock the Hudson River.”
More information is available at http://iboatnyc.com and on their YouTube page.
