The Nor'easter Hit the Part of Jones Beach That Stays Busy After Summer

"It actually just went through the aisleways," Jones Beach State Park Director Jeffrey Mason told the Herald. He was describing the water from the late-September nor'easter as it rose out of the orchestra seats at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater and spread onto the promenade. Restrooms and concessions flooded, and the Sept. 30 Logic and G-Eazy show was canceled.

The theater was one of several places the storm hit, and most of the damage was on the bay side. That's where the park's late season takes place: fishing piers that stay open through Dec. 31, the playground on Zach's Bay, and the paths along the boat basin. The oceanfront mostly came through fine, and by now it's the quieter half of the park anyway.

Where the water got in, and where it didn't

According to the Herald, park officials said the worst damage was on the bay side. Storm-driven water and erosion damaged three fishing piers at Field 10 and parts of the boat basin area. Erosion also collapsed a section of the multi-use path near the boat basin, and that section is closed.

The oceanfront went the other way. Before the storm, crews built a sand berm 6 to 8 feet high along the ocean side. Water reached the seawall in some spots, but the berm held and kept floodwater out of the Central Mall. Park staff also used erosion-control fencing and sandbags around buildings. "Our preparations and planning worked well," said George Gorman, Long Island regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He said the oceanfront facilities are running again largely without major restrictions.

Rima Taher, a civil and structural engineer and senior university lecturer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, told the paper that Jones Beach sits on a barrier island. Facilities there are especially exposed to flooding, and the high water table limits how much extra water the ground can absorb. That explains why the bay can come up over Zach's Bay and the boat basin even while the ocean side stays protected.

The state of the bay side, as of the Herald's Oct. 9 report

Here is how each damaged spot stood when the Herald published on Oct. 9:

• Field 10 piers: Two of the three damaged piers were repaired and reopened. Gorman said the third was expected to reopen within days.
• The fourth Field 10 pier: This one has been closed since an earlier storm damaged its pilings, and engineers are evaluating it.
• Boat basin path: The collapsed section is closed while engineers study the more extensive erosion. No cost estimates or completion dates had been released.
• The theater: Live Nation, which maintains the venue, pumped out the water and is expected to submit a repair plan to the state parks office. Gorman said the 2027 season won't be affected.

That means Field 10 should be close to fully running for the rest of the year, minus the pier that was already out. The boat basin path is the piece with no reopening date.

Why Field 10 matters more in fall than in July

The NYS Parks page for Jones Beach lists fishing at Field 6, Field 10 and West End 2 from April 1 through Dec. 31. In January, fishing is allowed at Green Island only. Swimming season is long over and the theater has wrapped, but Field 10 still has more than two months left. That's why the pier repairs matter more to someone who drives down the Wantagh Parkway on a November afternoon than the theater damage does.

Fishing after dark comes with rules. The park's description of Field 10 says its piers and bait and tackle shop allow fishing and crabbing until sunset, and that the regional Night Fishing Permit is required after sunset. According to the 2026 Long Island Permits Guide, the Night/Sport Fishing Permit costs $35 for New York residents and $60 for nonresidents and is valid April 1 through Dec. 31. To get one, you need a valid driver's license, your vehicle registration and a NYS DEC Recreational Marine Fishing Registry ID. After sunset, parking at the listed lots, including Field 10, is limited to night fishing. The same parks page says you also need a permit to fish at Green Island and the Work Docks. This is general information, not legal advice, so check the current guide with State Parks before you buy a permit or plan a night out on the piers.

Three dates that change the park before year-end

1. Nov. 8: Fees and games end. The vehicle entrance fee is $8 per car from Sept. 14 through Nov. 8, and it's collected 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The East and West Games, including bocce, cornhole, table tennis, pickleball, shuffleboard and volleyball, also end Nov. 8. So does miniature golf. Both run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays until then. The Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center's own visit page shows an older parking schedule ending Nov. 2. The state parks page has the current Nov. 8 date.
2. Nov. 20: Magic of Lights opens. A family events listing on Mommy Poppins shows the Jones Beach Magic of Lights Drive-Thru Show running Nov. 20, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027. Hours are listed as 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with tickets at $32 to $37 per carload. The same listing mentions online November offers as low as $22 through Nov. 19. Confirm dates and prices on the official Magic of Lights site before you buy.
3. Dec. 31: Field 10 fishing closes. Field 6, Field 10 and West End 2 all close for fishing at year-end. After that, only Green Island stays open into January.

The stretch between Nov. 8 and Nov. 20 is the quietest part of the park's year. The fee collection, games and mini golf have ended, the lights haven't started yet, and the piers, the boardwalk and the nature center are still open.

What stays open no matter what

Some things run all winter, storm or no storm. The parks page lists boardwalk biking as year-round and free. The Central Mall and Zach's Bay Playground are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Parking Field 4 is open sunrise to sunset daily from Sept. 7 through Dec. 31, and West End Marina is open daily from sunrise to sunset through Dec. 31. Field 5 is back to special event and concert parking only.

The Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center, at the West End II East Parking Lot, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. The standard public program fee is $4 per person, free for children under 3, unless a program says otherwise. The phone number is 516-809-8222. The center's events calendar still has two Halloween dates coming up:

• Friday, Oct. 30: Storytime Corner Walk-in Hour: Halloween.
• Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to noon: Halloween Puppet Day, with puppet crafts, puppet shows, a touch tank and trick-or-treating. This one has no program fee, and walk-ins are welcome.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so the morning puppet event fits in before trick-or-treating back home. Halloween is also a fee-collection day, with the $8 charge in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What the park learned from this storm

The Herald reported that officials don't plan to change how they prepare for the next storm. The berm stays in place, and engineers are now looking at the places where water got through, including the theater aisles. The parts of the park that are still open in late fall are the parts that will need the most attention in future storms. As of Oct. 9, the boat basin path and the fourth Field 10 pier were still waiting on engineering reviews with no completion dates.

Kim Holland grew up in Massapequa and owns a home on the Open Bay, so she knows how quickly bay water can come up. If the nor'easter has you thinking about how your own canal or bay-side home held up, or what a storm like this means for a waterfront sale next spring, The Kim Holland Homes Team is glad to walk through it with you. Get In Touch.