Summer in the city is in full swing, and that means beach season is as well!
Despite being in the news in recent weeks for shark sightings and closed beaches (they’re back open now!), there’s a new activation happening at Rockaway Beach that no one seems to be talking about.
Leveling up the full beach day experience, Public Art Fund has officially touched down on the sand at Beach 67, transforming the Queens coastline into a sprawling, open-air art gallery where you do not just stare at the sculptures. You actually get to play on them.
Say hello to Between Tides, a brand new exhibition featuring six wild, custom-built ping-pong tables installed directly on the sand.
Best of all, bringing your crew for a sunny seaside match is completely FREE.
Here are alllll the details and how you can challenge your friends in the coming months!
Art meets the ocean: what is ‘Between Tides’?
Table tennis started out as a stuffy Victorian parlor game for high society, but it eventually transformed into a massive global sport that anyone can play regardless of age or skill level.
To celebrate that universal love of the game, curator Gabriela López Dena and the team at Public Art Fund commissioned six incredible international artists to reimagine standard table tennis setups.
Running right now through September 13, 2026, these sculptures draw inspiration from the diverse cultural fabric of Queens and the delicate marine ecosystems of the Rockaway Peninsula.
You will find everything from mythical ocean beasts to musical instruments built right into the tables.
Instead of shushing you like a traditional museum guard, this exhibit practically begs you to bring your competitive spirit, make some new friends, and hit a few volleys in the sunshine.
The 6 sculptural tables you can play on
Each installation brings a totally unique, rule-breaking twist to the game of ping-pong:
- Moko Fukuyama, Old School: Brooklyn-based artist Moko Fukuyama teamed up a salvaged 1950s aluminum boat from local Marina 59 with giant, automotive-painted wooden tentacles. The table looks like it is being gripped by a legendary sea monster, nodding to ancient seafaring myths like the Scandinavian Kraken.
- Las Hermanas Iglesias, DiMeLo: Sisters Lisa and Janelle Iglesias turned their table into a literal musical instrument celebrating the vibrant migration stories of Queens. One side features a custom glockenspiel while the other is packed with percussion instruments like handpans, tom drums, and cymbals so every bounce of the ball creates a live soundtrack.
- Ilana Harris-Babou, for those of us who live at the shoreline: Inspired by drawing workshops with local beachgoers, this terrazzo and concrete setup is scattered with ceramic beach relics like sunglasses, a bottle, and a book. The unexpected obstacles disrupt the normal flow of the game and encourage fun, unstructured improvisation.
- Carlos H. Matos, Tlachco: Mexico City artist Carlos H. Matos merged standard table tennis with Ulama, one of the world’s oldest Mesoamerican ballgames. Crafted from volcanic stone and concrete, the table features tilted sidewalls and anchored hoops that challenge players to score points like ancient athletes.
- Amalia Pica, Fair Play: Why play singles when you can invite the whole beach? This massive eight-tabletop configuration spells out “FAIR PLAY” using the International Code of Signals and allows up to ten people to jump into simultaneous multiplayer matches.
- SUPERFLEX, Fish Ping-Pong: Designed by a Copenhagen art collective, this brutalist pink stone table actually doubles as a future marine habitat. The special pink color promotes coral growth, and the built-in openings are designed to house algae, plankton, and fish whenever the sculpture eventually returns to the sea.
How to grab a paddle and play
The best part of this whole thing: you don’t need to lug your own sports gear on the subway to get in on the action.
While you are always welcome to bring your own paddles and balls to play any day of the week, free equipment is readily available to borrow right on the sand.
Just head over to the beach kiosk during weekend lending hours:
- Fridays: 10 am to 4 pm
- Saturdays and Sundays: 12 pm to 6 pm
And if you want to test your skills against the locals, mark your calendars for the Sand and Paddle Classic, a massive community ping-pong tournament happening across all six installations on August 22, 2026, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
You can also explore the artworks and audio guides anytime using the free Bloomberg Connects app.
Why Rockaway Beach is THE place to be for summer 2026
There is a reason Rockaway Beach remains New York City’s favorite playground.
Spanning 5.5 miles of golden sand, it boasts the city’s only legal surfing beaches, an iconic boardwalk packed with incredible global food vendors, and the lush 35-acre Arverne East Nature Preserve.
Getting out to Beach 67 has never been easier this season either.
You can hop on the A train directly to the Beach 67 Street station, or take the scenic route on the NYC Ferry from Wall Street or Sunset Park.
Ferry riders this summer can even take advantage of the special weekend Rockaway Rocket express reservation service from Greenpoint and Long Island City, or hop on the free local shuttle buses connecting the ferry landings directly to the sand.
So will you be heading out to Rockaway Beach to check this out? 🏓