Hundreds of PWC Riders Flood Manhattan for 'NYC Invasion'
- Scott Way
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
Hundreds of PWC riders filled the East River in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday for the annual "NYC Invasion" event.
It's rare to see PWC riders in groups of more than a handful, so boaters tend to notice when hundreds of riders are sighted off the starboard bow.
A group of PWC riders took over Manhattan for the 8th annual NYC Jet Ski Invasion on Wednesday, and the turnout was so big that viral videos captured them covering huge swaths of the East River.
Social media users posted videos of themselves riding to the event, and then rolling out in a massive convoy through Midtown Manhattan.
According to the event's website, the NYC Jet Ski Invasion was created in 2017 to give enthusiasts a rare opportunity to explore NYC from their PWC. Previous events have taken riders past the city's biggest landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Status of Liberty, The World Trade Center, and The Intrepid Museum.
This year's event had the group meet up at Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island before heading through the city.
The event was organized by local PWC clubs looking to see how many riders could attend the single day event to make new friends, experience the outdoors, and explore the city. The 2025 event drew between 600 and 800 riders.
"It brings riders and teams together for one of the biggest rides in the country where people make new friends and create a family on the water," the website reads.
The group is also joined on the waterway by the likes of the U.S. Coast Guard and the NYD Harbor Patrol.
Given the volume of both commercial and recreational boat traffic, the convoy travels in a tight group with 'pack leaders' guiding the group in formation.
Various dayboats, cruisers, and other vessels also took place in the event, with some towing tubes or other platforms behind them.
Donations collected from the event are donated to local charities including The National Coast Guard Foundation.
Riders can even order a "jet ski jersey" commemorating the event from the website.
You can see a clip of the event from one of the riders below:
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