North Hempstead Beach Park (officially known as Bar Beach and Hempstead Harbor Parks) is a
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...
located on
Hempstead Harbor
Hempstead Harbor (also known as Hempstead Bay) is a bay hugging the northern coast of Long Island, New York. Located off of the Long Island Sound, it forms the northernmost portion of the political border between the Nassau County towns of Oyst ...
in
Port Washington, in
Nassau County, on the
North Shore of
Long Island, in
New York, United States. It is located in and owned and operated by the
Town of North Hempstead
North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hem ...
.
Description
What is now North Hempstead Beach Park used to be two separate parks: Bar Beach Town Park (operated by the Town of North Hempstead) and Hempstead Harbor County Park (operated by Nassau County).
The name was changed to its current name in 2008, following the Town's takeover. It is located off of
West Shore Road (Nassau County Route 15), and is only accessible (with a fee) to residents of Nassau County.
In the 2000s (ca. late 2007), Nassau County transferred ownership of their portion of park space to the Town of North Hempstead.
The transfer of ownership was performed as a cost-saving initiative by Nassau County.
After beginning renovations to this portion of the beach following the takeover, the Town of North Hempstead re-opened the entire property in the spring of 2008 as North Hempstead Beach Park.
The total area of the park is , and the total length of the property's beachfront is approximately .
Amenities in the park include but are not limited to athletic fields (including little league baseball fields), an amphitheater, shuffleboard courts, the beach, the promenade, bathhouses, and boating and fishing facilities.
In the early 2020s, it was announced that the park will undergo a major renovation project.
Annual events
A fireworks display sometimes takes place at the beach on
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
and for the
Fourth of July
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
.
In addition to the annual firework shows on Memorial Day and July 4th, the beach is host to "Beachfest", an end of summer festival which is held each September.
Beachfest features music, games, food vendors, and attractions for all ages.
See also
*
Manhasset Valley Park – Another former Nassau County park now operated by the Town of North Hempstead.
*
Tappan Beach – Another beach on Hempstead Harbor, operated by the adjacent
Town of Oyster Bay.
References
External links
Official website{{Parks in Nassau County, New York
Town of North Hempstead, New York
Parks in Nassau County, New York
Beaches of Nassau County, New York