A floating pool shaped like a plus sign will actually open in the East River in 2025

Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced late last week that after a decade of talks, the floating pool that’s shaped like a plus sign will open to the public on one of the city’s waterways in 2025. 

A “demonstration” of the self-filtering pool will debut this summer in the East River for a testing period. If successful, it will be accessible by all the year after.

“As part of my new NY SWIMS initiative—the Statewide Investment in Municipal Swimming—I’m proud to partner with Mayor Adams to advance a long-stalled, innovative floating pool concept: the +Pool,” said Governor Hochul in an official statement.

In September, for example, the New York City Council passed a comprehensive legislative package aimed at improving water safety programs across the city while also expanding access to public pools. As part of the new laws, the city will now officially offer second graders free swimming lessons. As reported by NBC, if approved by state lawmakers, a new $60 million grant program would also "build 10 new pools in underserved communities, and an additional $30 million would pay for pop-up pools during heat waves."

As for the location of the 9,000-square-foot water destination, it has yet to be announced, but we have our eye on the Lower East Side waterfront just north of the Manhattan Bridge. Soon, we’ll see this giant, floating swimming pool in the East River! You can read more here. 

New York City just keeps getting better and better. We will continue to keep you updated on all the Manhattan Happenings!