After more than 20 years, Cary’s grand vision for a downtown park is finally coming to fruition. After delays, an additional $10 million (bringing the total to around $69 million), and complete closure of the area covering the park since its groundbreaking in 2021, Cary is finally ready to open the gates.
You can read the full schedule of events from the park’s official website here.
The park is located at 327 S Academy St.
Here’s everything you should know:
Hours:
The park will open at 7:00 AM on Sunday, November 19th. The events won’t start until 11:00 AM, with the last event ending at 7:15 PM. The park will close at 11:00 PM.
Getting there:
There is a lot of hype surrounding this new park, and it is expected that many people will be attending this ribbon-cutting ceremony. As with any large event taking place in a relatively small area, you should get there early if you need to secure parking or consider using an alternative means of transportation such as the free GoCary bus system.
Parking will be available at the library parking deck (113 Walnut St), First Baptist Church (after 12:30 PM, 218 S Academy St), and on-street. The park’s website has listed additional parking options, which you can view here.
Note: You are unable to park at the Old Library Site, the Cary Arts Center, or First United Methodist Church. You can view the full list of restricted parking zones here.
GoCary offers a bus service with a drop-off right in front of the park, and it is currently completely free. Consider taking advantage of this service and not worry about trying to find a parking spot. You can view the schedule to plan your route here.
From 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, there will be free shuttles running from the Town Hall Parking Deck (121 Wilkinson Ave) and Cary Academy (1500 N Harrison Ave) with ADA-accessible options available. The last shuttle departs from the park at 8:45 PM.
Main Events:
You can view a full list of events here, but here are the highlights:
3:00 PM: Bandit Flight Team Flyover (note that per Bandit Flight Team’s website, their flyover will begin at 1:00. The Town of Cary reported that it will be during the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, so that is the time we will list here but will update this page if it is indeed earlier.)
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
4:00 PM (or immediately following the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony): Frantz Square Dedication (the area surrounding the fountain will be dedicated to outgoing District B council member Don Frantz by Mayor Harold Weinbrecht during this time)
What to Eat and Drink
The park will be serving coffee, beer, wine, grab-and-go items, and more at Market 317. The Bark Bar will be serving beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and light snacks.
There will be a large number of food trucks located around the park (full list found here).
Since the area will be a social district, you are free to stop in Cotton House Craft Brewers, located next to the park, and pick up a beer to take back with you into the park.
Filly Coffee Co. will also be located near Cotton House and offers delicious coffee beverages to help keep you exploring.
Beyond the park, downtown Cary has a large amount of restaurants, cafes, bars, and more. You can easily turn this into an all-day event by enjoying the rest of what downtown Cary has to offer.
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