2025 State of the Great Park

Collage created from City of Irvine published photos

On May 6th, thousands of Irvine residents attended the “State of the Great Park” event at Great Park Live. Irvine Councilmember and Great Park Chair Mike Carroll gave the opening address.

Guests were treated to interactive displays, live music performances, and light refreshments while learning about new amenities coming to the Great Park in the next year or two.

Once complete, the Great Park will span more than 1,300 acres — twice the size of New York City’s Central Park.

The Great Park is currently home to numerous world-class sports fields; a professional soccer stadium; a professional ice rink; Wild Rivers Waterpark; the Great Park Balloon & Carousel; a Visitors Center; the Palm Court Arts Complex; the Great Park Gallery; the Walkable Historical Timeline; the Farm + Food Lab; walking trails; and playgrounds & themed play areas.

During his speech, Carroll outlined what’s coming next to the Great Park:

Heart of the Park: This area will feature a grand promenade, a meadow with tree-top walks, a rotunda, and a picnic garden. There will be two lakes, providing tranquil water features with shaded boardwalks, viewing platforms, paddling, and canoeing. A Timeline Bridge is being built to honor Irvine’s past, while the Full-Circle Farm will offer an agricultural and educational space. At the center will be a large outdoor amphitheater.

Cultural Terrace: This sector will become home to the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, the California Fire Museum, Pretend City Children’s Museum, Orange County Music and Dance, and the Asian American History Museum.

Bosque: This greenway will provide a peaceful trail system enhanced with bridges, shade structures, and welcoming gathering spaces. The Canopy, a new retail and dining village, is also being built.

Northern Sector: This region will feature the Veterans Memorial Park & Gardens — a place to honor and remember those who have served our nation. The iconic El Toro air traffic control tower will be transformed into a museum where residents can experience what it’s like in a real control tower, just as military personnel once did to oversee the takeoff and landing of fighter aircraft. This area of the park will also include a botanical garden and the Great Park Central Library.

In addition, the City is studying an aerial transport system featuring fully electric-powered, autonomous, elevated vehicles that travel on a fixed cableway for on-demand mobility within the park.

Residents of the Great Park neighborhoods — who pay a special Mello-Roos tax to help fund the development and maintenance of the Great Park — were excited to learn about construction of The Canopy, which will be built on the corner of Bosque and Great Park Boulevard. For years, Great Park residents have been asking for coffee shops, restaurants, and grocery stores at the park so they don’t have to drive to other parts of town for daily essentials. The Canopy — scheduled to open late next year — will include a specialty grocer (the popular Canadian Asian supermarket chain T&T), sit-down and fast-casual restaurants, and other shopping options for nearby residents and park visitors. Great Park residents were also excited to learn about the aerial tram system, which would help ease traffic congestion in and around the park.