Victoria Park


View larger map Address: Park Avenue, Belfast, BT4 1JT

Entrance to the park is via an underpass at Park Avenue. If you are travelling by bus from Belfast city centre, take Metro no.3 and get off at Inverary Drive.

Victoria Park, situated in east Belfast, opened in 1906. One of the park’s biggest attractions is its lake, which was originally used for boating. Today, it is home to a range of water birds such as swans, geese, ducks, herons and migrant waders. Some of the waders have also been recorded in the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia.

Due to its rich variety of wildlife, the open water in the park is part of the Belfast Lough ASSI (Area of Special Scientific Interest) project. There are also many pleasant walks around the park, with recent tree planting providing shelter for many small birds.

Many geese, gulls and other birds congregate at Victoria Park, partly because they are used to being fed. Large numbers of birds, particularly heavy birds such as greylag geese, pose a threat to low flying aircraft from the nearby George Best City Airport. Aircrafts can be put in danger if they collide with flying birds.

We`ve teamed up with airport authorities, ecological consultants, NI Environment Agency and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in an attempt to prevent any incidents occurring in Belfast and to take measures to make Victoria Park less attractive to the greylag geese. You can help us to reduce the risk to aircraft by not feeding the birds.

A poetry trail, which features ten nature-themed poems written by local primary school pupils and etched onto metal plaques, also provides a pleasant route around the park.

Other features include flower and rose beds, walking routes, horticultural displays, a children's playground and sports facilities as part of Victoria Park Playing Fields.

You can find out more about the park by viewing the video clip. You need to have Adobe Flash Player 10 installed on your computer to use this feature. Press the 'play' button to begin watching.

Opening hours

All our parks open at 7.30am daily. Closing times vary according to the time of year - check full opening hours for parks

Events

Parkrun

Victoria Park is home to Parkrun, a free 5K (three miles) timed walk or jog around the park, every Saturday at 9am, in association with Orangegrove Athletics. The park also hosts regular events, including band performances and family fun days. Details of these are available in our park events section. It also runs a Saturday Club as part of our Watch This Space scheme on alternate Saturdays in the park's bowling pavilion.

Contact details

For more information about the park, call 028 9049 1813 or 07820 187203 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm only) or email quinngordon@belfastcity.gov.uk

Sports facilities

The park is home to Victoria Park Playing Fields which contain soccer pitches, a bowling green and a cycling and BMX track.

The bowling green is open from 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday (winter) and 11am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday (summer). The pitches are open from dawn to dusk.

To book or cancel an activity or facility, call 028 9046 0444 (Monday to Thursday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm, and Friday, 9am to 12pm). To book bowls, you can also call the bowling pavilion directly on 028 9061 1441. You can also email outdoorbookings@belfastcity.gov.uk

If you have booked a pitch and want to check whether it is still playable, call us on 028 9046 0444 (Monday to Thursday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm and Friday, 9am to 12pm) or on 028 9027 0677 outside these hours.

Walking routes

Victoria Park contains two walking trails centred around its main feature, the lake.

History

The idea of creating a public park near the Connswater River in east Belfast was first suggested by the Harbour Commissioner in 1854. Progress was slow because the land was very marshy, inaccessible to the public and generally unsuitable for a public park.

However, after many meetings, surveyors' reports and drainage schemes, the idea was given the green light and Victoria Park opened in 1906. It was landscaped by Charles McKimm, who also built the Tropical Ravine in Botanic Gardens

An outdoor swimming pool was added several years later and the central area of the park became a popular spot for soccer, bowling and cricket.