Waterloo Park announces August opening date, series of community programs

After four years of construction, Austin's 11-acre Waterloo Park just east of the Texas Capitol will open to the public in August.

The Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that maintains the parks around Waller Creek, announced the opening month May 3 along with a series of community programs that will take place through the summer and fall. Previously, the conservancy had announced a generally expected opening of summer 2021, with the annual Creek Show returning in November.

The park has been under construction since 2017. In addition to the green space, it will feature the 5,000-seat outdoor Moody Amphitheatre.

According to a news release from the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, the park will host a community day in August with free family-friendly activities when it officially opens. Events planned later in the fall include a 200-seat-capacity outdoor concert series from September through November, a Dia de Los Muertos Festival, Asleep at the Wheel playing a 50th-anniversary show in October, the Creek Show in November and screenings of holiday-themed family-friendly films in December.

In addition, according to the release, C3 Presents and Live Nation will be announcing concerts "in the coming weeks" from local, national and international touring acts at the amphitheater. Live Nation and C3 will offer 100 free tickets to each concert at the amphitheater, made available through a lottery.

The opening of the park marks the first phase of the Waterloo Greenway project. Once completed, the greenway will add 35 acres of green space in downtown Austin connected by 1.5 miles of trails from 15th Street to Lady Bird Lake. The $250 million project is a public-private partnership between the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy and the city of Austin.

Phase 2, which is set to be complete in 2023, will construct 9 acres of parkland along the creek delta from Lady Bird Lake to Cesar Chavez Street.