The NYC Beach Bus is back for 2016 with new beaches, and a pickup spot in Manhattan too!

Beach season, aka the best time to be alive in the United States of America, is finally here again. Team Brokelyn frequently makes a case that New York City should be included in the pantheon of Great Beach Towns, thanks in no small part to the free beach parties that have popped up in recent years and the persistent success of blanket-side nutcracker delivery salesman. That’s also thanks to our wonderful, sometimes functional public transit that drops you off at any number of beach spots and can get you back for dinner in Manhattan by nightfall.

But the folks at NYC Beach Bus have made the trip to the beach even easier, quicker and more groovy for your summer weekends: starting this weekend, they’re back for another year, offering $15 roundtrips to Rockaway and Riis Park that come with free Sixpoint beer, which beats waiting anxiously underground for the A train to come. The NYC Beach bus is expanding its offerings even more this year with new beaches and a pickup spot in Manhattan. And we’ve got two pairs of passes to give to Brokelyn readers!

In addition to its regular trips to Riis and Rockaway on Saturday and Sundays, the bus is offering trips to Fire Island, Jones Beach and a ~secret~ mystery beach throughout the summer. It’ll expand to trips to the water park at Mountain Creek in New Jersey (formerly Action Park) this summer too.

And for the first time, the bus picks up in Manhattan in Union Square, in addition to pickups at Williamsburg and Boerum Hill. Plus, you can rend stand-up paddle boards, collapsible kayaks and fishing rods along with the usual beach chairs and umbrellas this summer. It’s also got a headquarters now: The pickup location for its downtown bus has been moved from across from Barclays to 514 Atlantic Ave. at Third Avenue, right next to flame-covered dive bar Hank’s.

Basic info on the buses:

Departure times: Atlantic Ave. 9am, 11am & 1pm
Williamsburg 412 Metropolitan Ave. in front of Capital One: 9am, 11am & 1pm
Union Square (14th Street & Third Avenue): 9am & 12pm

Beach departure times:
Beach 95 and Shore Front Parkway: 4:30pm, 6:30pm (Union Square: 4:pm, 6:45pm)
Jacob Riis Park: 4:45pm, 6:45pm (Union Square: 4:15pm, 7pm)

Transportation: Air-conditioned school bus
Amenities: Music, candy, drinks, snacks, and an awesome host.

TO WIN FREE PASSES TO GETYO ASS TO THE BEACH (update: the contest is over!)

We’ve got two pairs of passes to a beach trip of your choosing any time this summer, plus a swag bucket of towels, sunglasses, umbrellas and BEER, just for Brokelyn readers.

1.  Sure to sign up for our email list if you haven’t already (we won’t share your info and we’ll only send you great Brokelyn event listings and news twice a week). Only subscribers are eligible to win.

2. Leave a comment below riffing on the topic “I can’t wait for summer in NYC because ______” (or just anything showing you’re excited about the beach, really) by Sunday at 5pm.

3. We’ll randomly pick two winners and contact you after that (so make sure to register with your real email address). Then, pick whatever weekend you want and get your ass out there to enjoy this great beach town we live in. See you on the bus!

To check the full list of options or just buy tickets, visit NYCBeachBus here.