2016 Liberty Announcement

The 2016 Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge will take place on Saturday, June 11 at Hudson River Park’s Pier 26 in Tribeca.  This marks the 20th annual production of New York Outrigger’s premier event.  Over the years Liberty has grown to become the largest Pacific Islands festival on the East Coast, and is considered by many to be one of the top outrigger canoe races in the world.

New York Outrigger is honored to announce that crewmembers from the Hōkūleʻa sailing canoe’s Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage will offer educational programming for children and adults at the Liberty festival.  The Worldwide Voyage began in 2014 and will take the crew of the Hōkūleʻa around the globe. Mālama Honua means “to care for our earth” and the mission of the voyage is to share, learn and create global relationships that bridge traditional and new technologies to help our world live more sustainably.

The 20th annual Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge is expected to draw 10,000 New Yorkers to the free public festival at Hudson River Park’s Pier 26.  Festival attendees will enjoy live entertainment, products from local and international vendors, family activities, and various culinary choices.  The Liberty outrigger canoe race is expected to be the most internationally diverse and competitive field of crews in the event’s history. Top teams from around the globe will take on the challenging waters of New York Harbor on a 15 mile course.  Crews will battle strong tidal currents while passing iconic landmarks, including the World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty.

New York Outrigger is proud of our long association with Hudson River Park and excited to continue to introduce the world’s top athletes and thousands of spectators to the park we call home. The Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge is a celebration of the continuing efforts of the Hudson River Park Trust to revitalize the shoreline of Manhattan’s westside.

The first Liberty Challenge took place in Tribeca in 1997. Since then the Hudson River Park Trust has turned an ailing and neglected waterfront into one of the world’s most iconic parks.  With a focus on greenspace and water access, Hudson River Park stretches from The Battery in downtown Manhattan to 59th Street in midtown, making it New York City’s second largest park.  The revitalized waterfront that the Hudson River Park Trust created has drawn New Yorkers back to the shoreline, reinvigorating communities and development along Manhattan’s westside.

Registration for the Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge will open in early 2016.  Questions about the event can be directed to liberty@newyorkoutrigger.org.