On the first day of summer break for New York City public school students, city pools are officially open.

Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials kicked off the pool season by attending the reopening of Astoria Pool, the largest public pool in the city, in Queens Thursday morning.

The Olympic-sized pool, which is nearly 100 years old, was closed last summer as it underwent approximately $19 million in renovations.

“I just want to say thank you to the men and women behind bringing us to today, because construction in New York City is not for the faint of heart,” Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said at the event. “But reopening this pool happened in a year, and it means that everybody in this community and throughout the city can come back to Astoria and make memories.”

Adams said the $19 million was money well spent.

“This reconstruction is really going to provide an entire summer of fun and activity, and being in the water this summer is going to allow young people to really, as Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi stated, just create a lifetime of memories, and a lifetime of friendships and bonding that goes with it ” he said.

Adams said 50 public pools will be open across the five boroughs this summer, including Astoria Pool.

City pools open daily at 11 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. each night, with a cleaning break between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The city’s Olympic- and intermediate-sized pools will be open through Sunday, Sept. 9 this year, while mini pools will close on Labor Day, the Department of Parks and Recreation’s website says.

The city says some sections of pools may be closed off if there aren’t enough lifeguards. Currently, the city has more than 600 lifeguards on its payroll. The parks department had previously made changes such as raising lifeguard's wages and easing the lifeguard test requirements to address a shortage. Now, the agency is hoping to hit its 2023 peak of 850 lifeguards on staff.

“Every pool has systems in place to make sure that the patrons and the lifeguards are healthy and safe, so even if there is a shortage we find ways to still run a pool,” Caitlin Dinca, who has been a lifeguard for 11 summers, said.

Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said they’re already seeing an increase in people applying to become lifeguards due to their recruitment efforts. 

For more information about the city’s pools, check out NY1’s guide to city beaches, pools and summer events.