Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park is a 6.63-acre urban green space located along the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Opened in 2021, the park fulfills a long-standing goal to provide a sizable open area for residents and visitors to enjoy in the heart of the city.

The park site connects to downtown via Wilmington's iconic Riverwalk, while new boardwalk connections extend over a dynamic living shoreline. The sculpted landscape engages with the water, incorporating coastal marsh ecology into the site. Elevated lawns and plazas offer spectacular views of the river, creating an engaging environment for visitors.

A centerpiece of Riverfront Park is the Live Oak Bank Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater with a capacity for 7,200 people, including 2,400 seated and 4,800 on the lawn. The venue hosts a variety of live music, comedy, and other events, making it a cultural hub for the community.

The park's design emphasizes environmental sustainability and resilience. It received the Waterfront Alliance's WEDG (Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines) Verification, recognizing its ecologically sound and accessible waterfront design. The park incorporates nearly 10,000 vegetation varieties, hand-planted into the riverside bluffs to create a natural and sustainable shoreline that reduces erosion and prevents runoff.