City of Brantford celebrates the Grand Reopening of Dufferin Park

Photo showing new playground at Dufferin Park

BRANTFORD, ON – The City of Brantford is very excited to share plans to celebrate the grand reopening of the newly renovated Dufferin Park at 158 St. Paul Avenue. Join the City of Brantford and the Holmedale Neighbourhood Association on Sunday, July 14, 2024 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. for a variety of entertainment and family-friendly activities. Vendors will be selling local products, delicious food and refreshing non-alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase.

An official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 12:45 p.m. with Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis, Brantford Councillors and representatives of the Holmedale Neighbourhood Association.

Free activities and programs

Attendees can take part in many free activities during the event, including face painting, balloon animals, obstacle course, Marco the clown and more. Families can meet and greet Poppy from Trolls at 12 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:05 p.m. and 2:55 p.m. and see Q-MACK basketball superstar on the basketball court at 1:15 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. where he will perform and provide tips on how to execute his famous basketball tricks, and host a basketball shooting contest with exciting prizes to be won.

Several community partners will be available to answer questions and provide helpful information about local organizations.

Live entertainment schedule

Enjoy a variety of live music with local artists including Chris Strei playing country, blues and folk music from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. on the main stage, country singer and songwriter Shaelee Sheppard from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. on the market stage, Jocelyn June from 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the market stage, pop and rock covers band Last Men Standing will perform on the market stage from 2:15 p.m. to 3 p.m., Monique Hunsley on the main stage from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. and Caribbean Kyle playing country music with a Latin and Caribbean flair from 3:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the market stage. Children’s music performers Bevy and Beanz will perform on the main stage from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Outdoor court activities

Join Pickleball Brantford Club and the Stefanovic Tennis Academy on the newly renovated courts which will be open for play between 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Those new to the game of tennis or pickleball can watch a demo from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. where participants can get involved in the fun. Attendees are welcome to participate in a tennis round robin tournament from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. with a top 10 Junior Canadian tennis player Annabelle Ganescu and professional tennis coach Ethan Mavromatis, followed by another round robin tournament from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be opportunities to win fantastic prizes including Babolat equipment, professional tennis and pickleball lessons and a free week of summer camp, not including trip fees. Registration for the tournament is required by emailing parksandrecreation@brantford.ca or by calling 519-759-4150 ext.5204. The Canadian National Pickleball League will play a game of pickleball at 2 p.m.

Dufferin Park new and improved features:

A modern, centralized 1,050 square foot building with indoor meeting space, outdoor patio area, kitchenette, storage and accessible and universal washrooms
Six tennis courts and six new pickleball courts, with lighting and access to shade structures
Accessible playground with rubber surfacing and inclusive We-Go-Swing™, and shade structure
Asphalt multi-use area including a basketball court
New parking lot with accessible spaces and drop-off area
Accessible pathways
Enhanced landscaping

Additional parking is available at W. Ross McDonald School using the walkthrough next to the courts, in between Dufferin Park and W. Ross McDonald School.

Court Bookings

The newly renovated Dufferin Park playground is now open to enjoy. Pre-booking for Dufferin Park outdoor courts will begin July 3^rd for court use that will be available to the public starting July 10, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Recognizing that people are eager to use the courts, presently, City staff are still completing the final work on the courts, so it is important they not be played on yet. Details for how to book a court as soon as they become available on July 10^th, can be found by visiting Brantford.ca/OutdoorCourts.

Quotes

“I’m looking forward to the grand reopening celebration at Dufferin Park when residents can enjoy the incredible new amenities that the City has added to this beloved space. I also want to extend my gratitude to the community for their patience during the reconstruction, and to the Holmedale Neighbourhood Association for all their hard work to organize a lineup of activities to celebrate the grand reopening. It’s a very fitting way to introduce the Park’s new modernized building and fully accessible playground that I’m certain will be very well used and enjoyed.”

- Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis

“The Holmedale Neighbourhood Association is thrilled to partner with the City of Brantford for the Grand Reopening of the newly redeveloped Dufferin Park. We are thrilled to see all the new amenities included in the final design that we are confident will be enjoyed by families in the community, for years to come! We are grateful to the city for all their support in making this happen.”

-Erica James, Holmedale Neighbourhood Association Chair

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Media Contact:

Sharon Sayles
Communications Specialist, Communications and Community Engagement
City of Brantford | 519-757-2840 | ssayles@brantford.ca