Holiday Park's Playground Is Waiting on a Factory. The Rest of the Park Is Open.

Victoria Park's largest green space is split by its renovation schedule this fall. The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center reopened almost a year ago, and the ice rink and the auditorium are running full fall calendars. The park lists hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The playground is closed, though, and the western part of the dog park is closed too. Sections of the walking path follow posted detours, and the city expects all of that to last until summer 2027.

The way the work was split shapes how the park works for the next three seasons. The parts you reserve, book or buy a ticket for are open now. The free parts you just walk into are the ones still waiting, and the main reason is that a custom playground takes about a year to make.

Why the playground takes until summer 2027

The City Commission approved the Phase II award on January 20, 2026. The staff memo recommended Lunacon Engineering Group at $7,008,411.43, which includes a $300,000 owner contingency. Seven firms bid, and Lunacon came in lowest against an engineer's estimate of $7.4 million.

The bid price explains less than the schedule. Once the city issues a Notice to Proceed, the contractor has 489 calendar days, or about 16 months. The commission memo says most of that time goes to engineering, permitting, manufacturing and installing custom playground structures, and it puts the equipment lead time at about a year from the Notice to Proceed. Picking a custom design is what keeps the playground closed through the winter.

Phase II covers more than the playground. It also includes new signage and wayfinding structures, dog park improvements, shade for the baseball dugouts, and what the memo calls "extensive landscaping and loop trail improvements." The city warns that elevated noise may occur during work hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Neither the memo nor the city's project pages name a playground manufacturer or a design theme yet.

The finished half was built for reservations

Phase I went first. It covered athletic field lighting and, mostly, tennis. The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center at 701 NE 12th Avenue reopened on October 27, 2025, according to the city's reopening fact sheet. The list of upgrades is long:

• 20 clay courts with a subsurface irrigation system
• A 700-seat stadium court
• LED lighting, 13 shade structures and 40 benches
• Three chilled drinking fountains and renovated restrooms
• An online court reservation system and expanded clinics for ages 4 and up

The Sun Sentinel covered the December 8, 2025 dedication, when the city marked the end of the $9.5 million renovation and named the stadium court for Chris Evert. The fact sheet lists hours of 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

The tennis renovation cost about $9.5 million and produced a center you book online. Phase II costs about $7 million and goes to the free, drop-in parts of the park, which is also the work that has to wait on manufacturing.

The city's Parks Bond project page puts a splash pad and restroom building in Phase 3 and new pickleball courts in Phase 4. The January commission memo groups all three into a single Phase III. The city's facility listing still includes pickleball courts among the park's current amenities.

What's on the fall calendar

The north end of the park is the busiest part this season, and nothing there is affected by the construction. At the Baptist Health IcePlex, public skate costs $18 for general admission plus $5 for skate rental. You have to register in advance. The October drop-in calendar shows late-morning and early-afternoon sessions on several days, including a 6:45 p.m. session on October 14. The rink's restaurant and bar, Federal, is in the same building.

Some dates for the next ten weeks:

1. October 16, 7 p.m. The Caribbean Heritage Skate at the IcePlex, with skating, food and music.
2. October 17 and 18, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. City sandbag distribution at Holiday Park, 1150 G. Harold Martin Dr. The Victoria Park Civic Association notes that you need proof of residency, the limit is five bags per vehicle, and it runs while supplies last.
3. October 17 through 31. War Memorial Auditorium hosts Knocked Loose and Denzel Curry on October 17, Turnpike Troubadours on October 23, Niko Moon on October 24 and Hush: A Silent Night on October 31.
4. November 7 and 11. Victoria Monét, then Lenny Pearce.
5. December 3 through 19. Dark Star Orchestra on December 3 and 4, Beartooth on December 5, the rescheduled Sabaton show on December 12 and JBeatz on December 19.

The War Memorial schedule is a live listing, so dates can change. The Florida Panthers' open-practice page says practices are free but subject to change, and it currently shows only September training camp dates.

Where the playground hours go in the meantime

With the Holiday Park playground closed until next summer, the nearest city alternatives are toward Coral Ridge and to the southwest. George English Park, at 1101 Bayview Dr, has a playground, a walking path, a jogging trail, tennis and pickleball, and it's open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Bayview Park, at 4401 Bayview Dr, has a playground, a pavilion and restrooms, with the same hours. Neither city facility page showed a construction closure notice when we checked.

For dogs, the eastern side of the Holiday Park dog area is the closest option, since the city has closed only the western portion. If you want a full off-leash run, Snyder Park at 3299 SW 4th Ave has the Bark Park with dog swimming, plus a playground and a nature trail. Bark Park is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from September through April, and parking is free except for special events. Snyder Park is also on the bond list for two playground replacements, but its project page still shows the work in planning.

Getting to the park through Victoria Park's other dig

The streets around the park have their own long construction schedule. The city's Victoria Park stormwater project began January 5, 2026 and is expected to finish in early 2028. It includes 43,000 feet of stormwater pipe, 360 drainage structures and a new pump station east of NE 20th Avenue and NE 7th Street. The contractor is David Mancini & Sons. Expect temporary lane closures while access to homes stays open. The city is also removing some right-of-way trees that conflict with the new exfiltration trenches, and it says swales and landscaping will be rebuilt afterward, with replanting locations and recommended species to be announced.

Like the playground, this project runs on a schedule set by work you mostly can't see, here underground pipe. That means the shaded walk to the park will change before the park's free spaces reopen. Separate sewer-lining work on NE 20th Avenue between NE 9th Place and NE 8th Court was scheduled to wrap up this month.

For trips toward the beach, FDOT's traffic shift on the Sunrise Boulevard Bridge started September 3. The south side is closed through early 2027, and all traffic uses the north side with two lanes in each direction. Westbound left turns from Sunrise onto southbound NE 26th Avenue aren't allowed during the shift.

One more item for the post-skate dinner list is still pending. Peppi's Pizza was expected to open at the Gateway in late September or early October, according to the Sun Sentinel's summer and fall restaurant preview. As of October 12, the restaurant's own site still lists 1930 E. Sunrise Blvd., Suite 9 as coming soon.

If your home sits on one of the blocks between Holiday Park and the stormwater work, it helps to know how both timelines affect the property you own or are thinking about. Jaime Cristancho follows these Victoria Park project schedules closely and can explain where each phase stands in English or Spanish. Schedule a Consultation.