For immediate release:
June 16, 2009

Contact:
Elizabeth Rapuano: 212-440-2205 | erapuano@empire.state.ny.us


Governors Island Welcomes Record Number of Visitors Before Summer Even Officially Begins  
Service makes it easier for Brooklyn residents to take advantage of Governors Island’s open space and programming

Governors Island has attracted more visitors in three weeks in 2009
than in the entire 2006 season
 

Governors Island has kicked off its 2009 season by attracting record breaking crowds, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) today announced. To date, more than 30,000 visitors have come to the Island. During the same period last year, half that number had visited. The Island opened to the public on May 30.

Visitors to Governors Island have enjoyed a wide variety of cultural and recreational programming in 2009. They have seen polo in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic, listened to jazz with Michael Aranella and the Dreamland Orchestra, taken part in the Figment art festival, and enjoyed miles of car-free biking and picnicking.

Over the past three years, the number of visitors to Governors Island has dramatically increased. In 2006, only 26,000 people visited the Island over the course of the entire summer. In 2007, that number increased to 56,000, and in 2008, 128,000 people visited. Since the Island opened on May 30, 2009, 11,000 people have visited each weekend.

“We are so pleased that more people than ever are coming to Governors Island to spend a day enjoying recreational and cultural activities,” said GIPEC President Leslie Koch. “These visitors, and many more than will come in the next few months, are reactivating Governors Island as never before.”

This year, visitors can also experience new areas of the Island. Picnic Point, located on the Island’s southwestern corner, is the Island’s newest open space. It has hammocks and picnic tables for visitors to relax and enjoy stunning views of the Statue of Liberty. The entire 2.2 mile waterfront promenade that encircles the Island is also open to the public for the first time, and provides visitors with a signature walking and biking experience.

Governors Island is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through October 11th. The seven minute ferry ride from Manhattan, as well as admission to the Island, is free to the public. There is also a free ferry to Governors Island from Brooklyn that is available on days when there is scheduled programming on Governors Island. A full list of Governors Island events and programs, as well as an updated ferry schedule, are available at govisland.com.

How to Get to Governors Island
Governors Island is open every Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Island is open from 10 AM to 7 PM. Ferries leave from the Battery Maritime Building, on the corner of South and Whitehall Streets, in Lower Manhattan. For up to date ferry schedules and downloadable maps, please visit www.govisland.com

About the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC)
The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) is responsible for the planning, redevelopment, and ongoing operations for 150 acres of Governors Island. A partnership of New York City and New York State, GIPEC seeks to bring Governors Island back to life, making this island at the center of New York Harbor a destination with great public open space, as well as future education, not for profit and commercial facilities. For more information please visit www.govisland.com.