Wilmington opens downtown pop-up park

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The City of Wilmington has officially opened a new celebration pop-up park in downtown Wilmington as part of ongoing America 250 festivities.

The temporary park, located at the corner of Third and Chestnut streets, is designed to serve as a gathering space focused on community, connection, and civic pride.

The site was originally planned for a grocery store, but after those plans fell through, city leaders introduced the idea for the park in late March.

Mary Vigue, one of the city’s deputy managers, said the goal was to create a welcoming public space that encourages residents to come together while also revitalizing the area.

“You know, we kind of let it run down, and what can we do to motivate and inspire the community to go out and be part of the 250th celebration and so combining a multitude of things, improving that area, but also how do we as a city celebrate that, and some of that is bringing together the community in an open space design,” said Vigue.

City officials say the park is expected to remain open through the summer and possibly into the fall as Wilmington explores ways to temporarily repurpose other unused spaces throughout the city.