A pop-up park called RiverPlay is coming to Memphis’ Mississippi riverfront early next month and staying through August.
RiverPlay, part of the Fourth Bluff project, which previously gave Memphis a riverfront ice-skating rink, will be a gathering and recreational space with playing fields, basketball courts, a skating rink, and spots for mobile food vendors at the Mississippi River Park.
Partners of RiverPlay— the Memphis Grizzlies, the City of Memphis, Riverfront Development Corporation, and Downtown Memphis Commission— all agree that this pop-up park will be a good opportunity to connect people in the city to the riverfront, downtown, and to the city as a whole.
“Creating better connections between downtown and the riverfront is one of our top priorities,” Terence Patterson, president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission said. “We love this activation and the opportunity it affords for rethinking how we use these downtown spaces.”
The Fourth Bluff project is a product of the national initiative, Reimagining The Civic Commons, a partnership of the JPB Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and others, which aims to increase civic engagement, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability by revamping and connecting parks, libraries, community centers, and other public places.
Memphis is one of only five cities included in the program nationwide.
“Memphis has the best natural riverfront in the country, and it is important that find ways to make the most out of every square inch of these remarkable public spaces,” Mayor Jim Strickland said. “As our downtown core continues to develop and welcome new residents, workers, and visitors all the time, programs like Fourth Bluff and innovative projects like RiverPlay illuminate exact why our riverfront is so special.”
Installation of the pop-up park will begin on the 22nd of this month, while portions of Riverside Drive will be closed for the Memphis In May festivities.
Additions to the riverfront come at the same time city officials are looking to repave and add bike lanes to the south side of Riverside Drive.
