OPENING IN NEW YORK/VIENNA/COPENHAGEN: City-Center Beaches

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv — and Israel’s tourism and PR machines are making the most of this welcome does of good news.

Most folks still don’t know much about Tel Aviv — at least not much on a positive note.

What we can share is that the city has both the largest repository of Bauhaus buildings on the planet. And it boasts some 12km of prime Mediterranean seafront.

And that’s where the city-center beaches come in.

This summer — in honor of Tel Aviv’s centenary — Israel’s Foreign Ministry will create urban beaches in three cities worldwide: Vienna, New York and Copenhagen.

The Vienna beach already soft-opened (above) and will continue along the Donaukanal River until September.

In New York, the beach will take place for ONE DAY only — Sunday June 21 — in Central Park at the Naumberg Bandshell from 11.00am to 6.pm. There will be beach games, tanning spots and a rock concert– all on 30 tons of sand.  “Tel Aviv’s sun, beaches and party scene in the middle of Central Park,” is how Israeli Consul for Media Affairs David Saranga describes the event.

And finally in Copenhagen, the beach will take place from August 9 – 14 along one of its historic canals. Interestingly, the Copenhagen version is taking place in tandem and partnership with the city’s upcoming World Outgames — AKA, the Gay Olympics.

Of course this being Israel, the beaches — meant for fun — have not arrived without drama. Folks back in Israel say the $200,000 cost of Central Park’s beach is a bit much in these austere times. And during the May soft-opening of Vienna’s version, protesters created an alternative “Gaza Beach” on the other side of the river complete with 150 black-clad protestors.

With lots of homos expected in Denmark for those Outgames, perhaps we’ll catch Ms. California Carrie Prejean setting up some “protest sand”  in Copenhagen’s later this summer.