Experience the Sunrise at Waterfront Park

Newburyport Waterfront Park is positioned in the center of downtown Newburyport, Massachusetts.

A perfect green space, Waterfront Park has a great boardwalk that runs along the Merrimack River and plenty of benches to stop and enjoy the waterfront views and boating activity.

Waterfront Park also plays hosts to a variety of exercise classes, the occasional summer wedding and plenty of live entertainment from local theater performances to world class bands during Newburyport’s Yankee Homecoming and Riverfront Music Festival.

As part of an Urban Renewal Project in the 60’s, Waterfront Park was taken by eminent domain by the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority (NRA) and is now maintained and managed by the Newburyport Waterfront Trust, a team of five Trustees appointed by the Mayor. The duty of the Trust is to, “Keep the public ways and Boardwalk “open” for the benefit of the general public.”

Some have expressed interest in a new vision for the park as seen in this Waterfront Master Plan by Union Studio Architecture and Design. In this design the park would increase in size with the addition of two three-story mixed-used buildings and more parking, costing a developer an estimated $30 million.

Citizens for an Open Waterfront remain in support of open views of the Merrimack River including recreational activities like volleyball and a wading pool, as well as improved parking, however the group rejects the proposed buildings as the centerpiece of the design.

Waterfront Park

Downtown Newburyport, behind the Firehouse Center of the Arts
Newburyport, MA 01950

Managed by the Newburyport Waterfront Trust

Special events that require use of any portion of the Waterfront Park require approval. Park Use Application