Festival Park Reimagined

Located in the heart of downtown Castle Rock and home to community events like First Fridays, Farmers Market and the Western Heritage Welcome, this park features a large pavilion, two fire pits, splash pad, open lawn creekside picnic area and Wi-Fi. It also is the junction of East Plum Creek Trail and Sellars Gulch Trail and provides access to creek. 

Festival Park receives Design Awards!

  • 2018 Merit Award for Design from the American Society of Landscape Architects
  • 2018 Best Project Award from ENR Mountain States in the Landscape/Urban Development category.
  • The Denver Regional Council of Governments gave the park a Metro Vision award. The award recognizes regional efforts to creative vibrant, connected communities through excellent natural and built environments. This award was presented Friday, May 3, at the DRCOG 2019 Awards Celebration at the Colorado Convention Center.
Mayor Gray with the DRCOG award
  • Festival Park also contended for a prestigious Urban Land Institute award, making it to the top three finalists.  
  • 2019 Colorado Lottery Starburst Award. Starburst Awards recognize excellence in the use of Lottery funds for community and conservation projects. Winners are chosen based on the creativity of the project, economic and social impact on the community, and whether the project achieved its goal.
  • 2019 Colorado Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) Columbine Award for Renovated Park Design.
  1. Project Background
  2. Funding
  3. Timeline

Festival Park is the heart of Downtown Castle Rock and is home to some of the community’s most treasured events. Now, this central gathering space has been transformed into a vibrant urban center. This project was planned through a collaborative effort of residents, the Downtown Development Authority, Downtown Merchants Association and the Town.

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 a construction contract between the Town and M.A. Mortenson Company was approved by Town Council to redevelop Festival Park. The goals are to enhance the park, boost the success of the adjacent Downtown business district and create an active public gathering space for both work and relaxation.

Throughout the planning process, the Town solicited input from the public to help re-image the park. The $6.9 million-park-improvement project includes amenities such as a landing pavilion, splash pad, a fire-pit, an open lawn, a creek-side picnic area, market plaza, bridge connections to Town Hall parking, improved lighting and seating, an overlook walkway with an iconic lantern feature and a water-play area in Sellars Gulch. In addition to the amenities, stormwater improvements along Sellars Gulch were implemented to align with national flood plain regulations and provide public access to the creek.

It’s also important to note, traffic will only be permitted to enter Second Street one-way from Perry Street and will be required to exit through the alley north. This allowed for both a pedestrian walkway and market plaza to be incorporated into the park.