Downtown Fort Lauderdale has always had a river at its heart. Now, with the reimagining of Huizenga Park, the city is finally giving that riverfront the civic centerpiece it deserves.
Set along the New River at the western edge of Las Olas Boulevard, Huizenga Park is undergoing one of the most ambitious public-space transformations in Fort Lauderdale’s history. What was once a sun-exposed festival lawn is becoming a lush, walkable, shade-rich urban oasis—designed not just for events, but for everyday life. The project signals a broader evolution of downtown itself: from a business district people passed through, to a place people stay, stroll, and belong.
This is Riverwalk 2.0—and it’s reshaping how Fort Lauderdale moves, gathers, and sees itself.
From Plaza to Living Room: Why Huizenga Park Matters
Huizenga Park occupies just 3.6 acres, but its civic importance far exceeds its footprint. For decades, it functioned primarily as an event space—hosting festivals, concerts, and seasonal attractions that briefly animated downtown after office hours. Outside of those moments, the park was often underused: hot, sparse, and more transitional than inviting.
That reality no longer matches downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Over the past decade, the urban core has seen an explosion of residential towers, cultural institutions, and pedestrian activity. Thousands of new residents now live within a short walk of the park. Las Olas Boulevard has become a year-round destination. The Riverwalk itself has matured into one of South Florida’s most recognizable public corridors.
The old park design simply couldn’t keep up.
The Huizenga Park redesign is a response to this shift. Its goal is not just beautification, but transformation—turning the park into downtown’s outdoor living room: a place for daily rituals, spontaneous encounters, and civic pride.
The Vision: A Signature Park for a Growing City
Led by the Downtown Development Authority in partnership with the City of Fort Lauderdale, Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale, and the Huizenga Park Foundation, the redesign reflects years of planning, public engagement, and benchmarking against top waterfront parks nationwide.
Perkins&Will’s design approach organizes the park into a series of “outdoor rooms,” each supporting a different kind of use—quiet, active, social, or celebratory—while remaining visually and physically connected.
At its core, the vision centers on four priorities:
- Walkability: making the park a natural extension of Las Olas and the Riverwalk
- Shade and comfort: designing for South Florida’s climate, not against it
- Daily activation: ensuring the park thrives beyond special events
- Civic identity: creating a space that reflects Fort Lauderdale’s culture and future
The result is a park designed to be used from morning to evening, every day of the year.
What’s New: A Park Designed for How People Actually Live
A True Civic Lawn
At the heart of the park is a flexible Great Lawn—large enough for concerts, movie nights, and festivals, yet intimate enough for picnics, yoga classes, and casual lounging. It’s the park’s green anchor, replacing the old hardscape-heavy layout with a softer, more welcoming core.
Shade, Everywhere
One of the most transformative upgrades is the dramatic increase in tree canopy and landscaping. Dozens of new shade trees and thousands of plants now define the park, creating cooler microclimates and visual richness. Winding paths move through groves rather than across exposed concrete, making walking enjoyable even in warmer months.
Riverwalk, Reconnected
The riverfront promenade has been widened and refined, strengthening Huizenga Park’s role as a key node along the Riverwalk. Views to the water are more open, seating is more generous, and movement between Las Olas and the river feels intuitive rather than forced.
Spaces for All Ages
The redesign acknowledges that downtown is no longer just for office workers. A sculptural children’s play “moundscape” integrates play into the landscape without feeling intrusive, while a dedicated dog run—the first of its kind downtown—recognizes the needs of nearby residents and their pets.
Dining as Civic Infrastructure
A major addition is the waterfront restaurant pavilion, Sweetwaters, operated by the team behind Miami’s Rusty Pelican. Beyond dining, the restaurant provides publicly accessible restrooms and round-the-clock activity, reinforcing the idea that food and people are essential ingredients of a safe, vibrant public space.
Until the restaurant opens, rotating concessions and food kiosks ensure the park remains active and welcoming.
Art, Identity, and Storytelling
Permanent public art installations, a restored Spirit of Fort Lauderdale fountain, and a Legacy Plaza honoring the park’s supporters ground the space in local culture. The park doesn’t erase its history—it builds on it, giving residents and visitors a stronger sense of place.
Walkability and Safety: Designing for Movement and Comfort
Huizenga Park now functions as a connector rather than an obstacle.
Pedestrian paths flow seamlessly between Las Olas Boulevard, the Riverwalk, cultural institutions, and surrounding neighborhoods. ADA-accessible routes, gentle grades, and clear sightlines make movement intuitive for all users, from joggers to families with strollers.
Safety is addressed not through barriers, but through design:
- Improved lighting throughout the park
- Clear visibility across spaces
- Active edges created by dining, play, and programming
- On-site staffing and attended facilities
The result is a park that feels comfortable at dusk, not deserted—one where people linger rather than rush through.
Economic and Cultural Ripple Effects
Public spaces shape cities more than buildings alone.
The Huizenga Park revamp is expected to increase foot traffic, extend visitor dwell time, and support nearby businesses along Las Olas and the Riverwalk. For downtown residents, it enhances daily quality of life. For visitors, it adds another reason to explore beyond the beach.
Just as importantly, the park strengthens Fort Lauderdale’s competitive position among Florida cities investing heavily in waterfront placemaking. From Tampa’s Riverwalk to West Palm Beach’s Great Lawn, successful downtowns share one trait: signature public spaces that anchor civic life.
Huizenga Park now joins that conversation.
A Park Built for the Long Term
Unlike many public projects, Huizenga Park comes with a long-term management and programming strategy. The creation of the Huizenga Park Foundation ensures dedicated stewardship, consistent maintenance, and ongoing activation—hallmarks of the country’s most successful urban parks.
This isn’t a one-time upgrade. It’s an operational commitment.
When Huizenga Park reopens in January 2026, it won’t just mark the end of construction. It will signal a shift in how downtown Fort Lauderdale sees itself.
No longer just a place to work or pass through, the city’s core is becoming somewhere to walk without a destination, to gather without an occasion, and to feel connected—to the river, to each other, and to the city’s future.
Riverwalk 2.0 isn’t about replacing what came before.
It’s about finally letting downtown Fort Lauderdale live up to its potential—one shaded path, one gathering, one everyday moment at a time.
