Victoria Park opened in 1896, making it our oldest park. Some of the original features remain, including an iron bridge, flower beds and hundreds of trees and shrubs. The park is also home to a historic pavilion, which is a popular event and wedding venue.

On this page:

  1. About Victoria Park
  2. Location
  3. Parking and transit
  4. Washrooms
  5. Every Child Matters crosswalk
  6. Splashpad and playground
  7. Swans
  8. Wi-Fi
  9. Events and rentals
  10. Tell us what you think

About Victoria Park

Walk around Victoria Park lake, crossing back and forth over numerous bridges, visit the band stand on Roos Island and take in some of Kitchener’s largest park trees in formal park setting.

In the winter, enjoy outdoor skating on the Victoria Park outdoor ice rinks.

Location

Victoria Park is a short walk away from downtown Kitchener. You can access Victoria Park from:

  • the Iron Horse Trail
  • Gaukel Street
  • Joseph Street
  • Jubilee Drive via Park Street, Courtland Avenue or other surrounding streets (the Heritage Bridge near Jubilee Drive is currently closed for repair)
  • Schneider Avenue
  • Roland Street

Note: Roos Island is currently closed and is expected to reopen in phases beginning late this summer. 

Get directions on Google Maps

Parking and transit

Victoria Park has multiple parking options:

  • lot on Jubilee Drive near Devon Street
  • lot on Jubilee Drive near David Street
  • on-street parking on Schneider Avenue
  • lot on Schneider Avenue (for pavilion)

These Grand River Transit (GRT) routes stop near Victoria Park:

Washrooms

These washrooms are available at Victoria Park:

  • accessible men's and women's washrooms on Jubilee Drive at David Street
    • available year-round
    • open seven days a week, from the morning to dusk
  • men's and women's washrooms near the Pavilion and play area
    • available between May and November
    • open seven days a week, from the morning to dusk

Every Child Matters crosswalk

During your visit to Victoria Park, you may notice the thousands of orange footprints painted on the trail throughout the park – or, more vividly, the beautiful orange “Every Child Matters” crosswalk located at the crosswalk at the intersection of Water Street and Jubilee Drive.

The footprints and crosswalk are the result of the passion of Indigenous community members and allies who had a vision to bring to Victoria Park a lasting tribute to honour the children whose lives were lost in residential schools, and those who still live with the generational trauma caused by residential schools. Read more about this community-led tribute.

Children’s shoes at the base of Queen Victoria statue

In anticipation of the Every Child Matters crosswalk installation and unveiling, a number of children’s shoes were placed at the base of the Queen Victoria Statue. This action was led by the Every Child Matters Crosswalk Committee, led by Sheena Merling, as a way to visually represent the loss of Indigenous children in Canada’s residential school system, which began in 1831 and did not end until the final school closed in 1996. The shoes were placed as a parallel to the footprints in the park and presented an opportunity and invitation for other community members – Indigenous people, allies and others – to participate in this public acknowledgement in a continued way.

After witnessing the positive community interaction with this display, we asked the Every Child Matters Crosswalk Committee to consider leaving the shoes in place while the upcoming engagement regarding the statue gets underway, in response to city council’s direction in June “That staff be directed to commission new temporary public artwork that recognizes Indigenous Peoples on the site while the engagement process occurs.”

The Every Child Matters Crosswalk received a LoveMyHood Matching Grant from the City of Kitchener. Learn more about the Every Child Matters Crosswalk on their Facebook page.

Read more about reconciliation at the City of Kitchener.

Splashpad and playground

Behind the Victoria Park Pavilion, you'll find our splashpad and playground. Parking is available in the pavilion parking lot.

These accessibility features are available at Victoria Park:

  • partially rubberized play surface
  • accessible fitness equipment area with rubberized surface

Swans

Victoria Park is home to Otis and Ophelia, Kitchener’s swans. They live in the park during the summer, and travel to Stratford for the winter.

Check out our social media pages for pictures and updates on Otis and Ophelia.

Wi-Fi

Use your own phone, tablet or computer with our free Wi-Fi. Choose the “Kitchener Public WiFi” network and follow the instructions that show up.

Events and rentals

We host events at Victoria Park during the summer. Check our events calendar to find an upcoming event.

Some popular events at Victoria Park include:

  • Cruising on King Street
  • Ribfest
  • Kitchener Blues Festival

Rent the pavilion

Victoria Park Pavilion is a popular wedding and event venue in downtown Kitchener. Visit our event rentals page to learn more.

Tell us what you think

We want to hear from you! Visit our Engage Kitchener page to tell us what you think about:

  • community gardens and food access
  • physical activity and social spaces through skate parks and alternative sports
  • parks maintenance
  • the environment and natural areas

We want to know how we can make Kitchener a better place to live, work and play.

Learn more on Engage Kitchener