City of Boulder Unveils New Name for Downtown Park

The City of Boulder is excited to announce the renaming of the largest area of public land in downtown Boulder - Welcome to Boulder Creek Park.

The name applies to the parkland previously referred to as the Civic Area and Central Park, located between 9th and 13th St. and Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue. Community members are invited to celebrate the park's new identity with city staff and community partners on Thursday, July 23, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Wild Woods Discovery Area, the nature pop-up located near the Glen Huntington Bandshell. The event recognizes the community engagement process that helped shape the park's new name and will include free family-friendly activities, desserts and live music from local performers, Jenn Cleary's Music Trio.

"Boulder Creek Park" was one of eight proposed names that emerged from a series of community engagement sessions that involved students from Boulder High School's Zonta Club, community partners Growing Up Boulder, RIOS Boulder and the University of Colorado students. Based on feedback gathered through a community-wide online form, city staff recommended the name Boulder Creek Park to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB), which approved the name last month.

"Boulder Creek has defined our city since its earliest days and has long provided a valuable place for our community to connect with each other and with nature," says Ali Rhodes, Director of Parks and Recreation, "It is fitting that our largest downtown park be named for the creek that runs through it. As we prepare to invest in one of our oldest parks, we are so excited for it to have a name that affirms the important role Boulder Creek plays in our community."

Boulder Creek Park Phase 2 designs, project information and city staff will be available at the event to answer community questions. Phase 2 construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in late 2027. Additional project details will be updated on the project webpage.