Westminster Pier Park
April 2026: The play tower will be closed until July 2026 to support construction on westward park expansion.
Access
The Westminster Pier Park can be conveniently accessed via the Fourth Street Overpass and the Sixth Street Overpass. Both entrances are accessible, Fourth Street overpass via outdoor elevator and Sixth Street via accessible ramp.
Eats at the Pier Concession
- Open from Spring - Summer. Call Concessions hotline for hours: 604-527-4634
Park Description
Nominated as the #1 2015 boardwalk around Vancouver, the innovative and award winning Westminster Pier Park is uniquely built with equal parts built on land and water (supported by 3,600 pilings).
The Westminster Pier Park connects visitors to the mighty Fraser River and when combined with the Waterfront Esplanade Boardwalk creates a magnificent 2.5 km linear waterfront park.
The Westminster Pier Park amenities include: a 325 metre water front boardwalk, festival lawn, concession, elevated viewpoints, grass, trees, gardens, benches, accessible picnic tables, a basketball court, public art, and play area.
Within 1 km of the park is theSamson V Maritime Museum, Fraser River Discovery Centre, World's Tallest Tin Soldier, Waterfront Esplanade, Quayside Playground, Quayside off-leash dog area, Antique Alley and historic Columbia Street. This makes the Pier Park a perfect family destination for playing, relaxing, shopping, sight-seeing and eating.
Public Art
Westminster Pier Park has a number of public art feature includingCommunity on the River: The Place Where People Meet, which describes the history of Lytton Square and 87 fascinating milestones in New Westminster's rich history. The park also features a Memory Band highlighting people, places and businesses significant to the History of New Westminster.
Awards and Recognition
Westminster Pier Park was recognized for its remediation and design excellence through the following awards:
| Authority | Award Category |
| 1. Georgia Straight | Best Make Over of a Community Space (2012) |
| 2. Federation of Canadian Municipalities | Sustainable Communities Award in the Brownfield category (2012) FCM Project & Overview |
| 3. Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver | Commercial Building Award (2012) |
| 4. Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators | Innovation and administrative excellence in converting a contaminated brownfield into a usable greenfield (2012) |
| 5. Canadian Urban Institute for sustainable remediation technologies | National Brownie Award(2011) |
| 6. Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia | APEGBC's 2012 Environmental Award |
| 7. International Downtown Association | Downtown Pinnacle Award for Public Space (2013) |
| 8. Canadian Society of Landscape Architects | Regional Honour - Design (2013) |
| 9. BC Recreation and Parks Association | 2014 Parks & Open Spaces Award |
| 10. Royal Architectural Institute of Canada | 2014 National Urban Design Award RAIC Press Release |
| 11. Royal City Builders Award | 2015 Award for Landscaping |
Westminster Pier Park was also profiled and recognized in the December 2012 issue of Innovation (Journal of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC) for the engineering, innovation, complexity and accomplishments.
The park was also featured in the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities and on the World Landscape Architecture website.
History
The park was officially opened in 2012. In September 2020, the park caught fire and burned for more than 10 days. The iconic art installation, Wow Westminster, was an unfortunate loss along with amenities including the sand volleyball courts and an urban beach. After a massive rebuilding effort the park reopened April 2021.