Photo taken at Coney Island. "Coney Island about 1943. Uncles in the Navy with girlfriends." Photo courtesy of M Prlain.

Photo taken at Coney Island. Courtesy of Eliza Rinn.

Photo taken at Coney Island. "Summer Love Love is in the Air." Photo courtesy of Maya Zeleny.

Hot weather changes how New Yorkers behave, inspiring people to search for new ways to cool off in the summertime. As one journalist observed during a 1925 hot spell, “the only relief” in the city “was in water, wherever it could be found.” Water—whether it’s the fountains, fire hydrants, rivers, outer-borough beaches, public baths (both floating and on land), or public pools—could transform a sizzling summer day into a cool afternoon. Source: “Nation’s Death List 300,” New York Times, June 7, 1925, 1.

Photo taken at Coney Island. Courtesy of Katie Godowski.

Shade makes all the difference on a hot summer day. New Yorkers have long gathered under shade trees in parks and walked on the shady side of the street to beat the heat. Shade can also be portable. A parasol or a wide-brimmed hat make time spent in the sun more tolerable. A sun canopy or umbrella makes a trip to the beach safer and cooler. However it can be found, shade provides the relief necessary for New Yorkers in the summertime.

Photo taken at Coney Island. "Lifeguard Warmup, Coney Island, Brooklyn." Photo courtesy of Ellynn Short.

Crowded day at Coney Island where New Yorkers become one in a giant stew!

A close-up photograph of two girls holding hands while standing in the water on Coney Island Beach.

Bathers enjoy the beach at Coney Island and Edgemere, Long Island.

Beachgoers splash in the surf at Coney Island.

A woman holding parasol walks along the Coney Island Beach.

Three boys cover themselves with mud while sitting on Coney Island Beach.

Beachgoers make for a packed crowd on Coney Island Beach.

Scenes of life on the beach.

Beachgoers sit at the water's edge, likely enjoying the cooling breeze.

Coney Island beach. A group of people relax on the beach with one person sitting in a folding beach chair and a baby carriage in the right foreground.

It was a hot summer day on the beach when a woman strolled by, beaming and dressed in every color of the season. She represented the American nostalgia of summer to me. The idea of youthfulness and the idea the in all the heat a sweet treat always wins.

The photograph caption reads: "By the shores of Coney Island--Brave souls that they were, these bathers hesitated not despite yesterday's chilly breezes in enjoying the ocean at Brooklyn's famed resort."

A crowd enjoys beach activities while some seek shade under umbrellas. The photo caption reads: "It really looks like Coney--Group of youths, among the 1,300,000 persons who flocked to Coney Island yesterday, line up for game of 'Johnny-on-the-Pony'."

A young man and young woman find a creative way to relax with one another on Coney Island Beach.

Wading in the water during an August heatwave with my camera, I asked this pregnant woman if I could shoot a candid photo of her, as is. She said she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to do that since she felt so miserable. and I told her she would be the Coney Island Venus.

A packed crowd on Coney Island Beach enjoys the summertime weather.

Several men beat the heat on Coney Island Beach by finding shade under a large umbrella.

A selection of our submissions from summer 2025.

Too hot to do a photoshoot in the day so they brought it out to the beach at night. Many people swimming long into the night

A group of women find some shade under an umbrella at Coney Island Beach.

Two men playing chess on beach. A close-up photograph of two men relaxing on Coney Island Beach while playing chess.

This photo caption reads: "Were you here?--This \[aerial] photograph of the crowd which turned out at Coney Island \[boardwalk and beach] last Sunday was taken from the parachute jump, recently moved from the World's Fair to Steeplechase Park. Police estimated that 800,000 persons were at the resort."

A crowd gathers on a packed Coney Island Boardwalk.

A close-up photograph shows two women standing on Coney Island Beach and shaking a white bedspread.

Photo caption reads: "Mountain to Mohammed--Richard Distasto, 1, of 518 4th St., refused to go into ocean at Coney Island, so friend, Kenneth Lund, 5, of 4120 8th Ave., brings ocean to him."

Bathers cool off in the Coney Island surf.

A woman with a parasol views the beach from the Boardwalk, with rubble in the foreground.

Reflecting on his youth, author Arthur Miller remembered crowds at Coney Island that made it hard to find a spot for a towel. City police routinely estimated from 200,000 to 400,000 visitors flocked to city beaches during heat waves. Finding shade was just as difficult, so beachgoers had to improvise with umbrellas and makeshift canopies.

Getting wet or enjoying the ocean breeze to cool off or stay cool on Coney Island.

An action photograph shows a man being tossed from a blanket, with spectators enjoying the popular beach activity. Coney Island Beach (July 4, 1933).

The beach near Steeplechase Pier

Three sages solving the problems of the world.

An aerial view of the Fourth of July crowd on Coney Island boardwalk and beach. The pavilion is visible in the background and portions of commercial buildings can be seen on the far left.

A close-up photograph of a young man wearing a short-sleeved shirt and pants rolled up to knees as he stands in the water at Coney Island Beach.

You can see the Seagram billboard in the rear left, the tornado roller coaster next to it and the Wonder Wheel to the rear right.

Two men sitting on Good Humor Ice Cream boxes enjoy ice cream bars at Coney Island Beach.

Beachgoers of all ages try to beat the heat by finding shade at Coney Island.

Young swimmer.

Provided caption reads: "Who cares about the heat?: not this quintet of Coney Island bathers; dashing into the surf are, left to right, Frances Friedenthal, Lee Krush, Maureen Haver, Nettie Thomas and Bea Resnikoff."

A close-up photograph of a baby girl wearing a bathing suit and bonnet while playing in the water on Coney Island Beach.

This hat vendor catered to beachgoers who feared a sunburn. In August of 1990, the New York Times reported, “People who once thought nothing of acquiring lobsterlike coloring are crowding beneath umbrellas.” One woman, en route to a Long Island beach, declared umbrellas essential to the trip: “The only thing better is sun block with an S.P.F. of about a zillion.”