On my recent (Sept 2020) visit to Calgary, Alberta (one of my fav cities ever!), I was on a mission to update my Guide to Instagrammable Walls of Calgary, but of course took any opportunity to find other Instagrammable photo spots—like the Upside Down Church in East Village or the topic of this post:
The new PARK PARK Instagrammable Parking Lot in Calgary’s Inglewood neighbourhood!
PARK PARK is a project by the Calgary Parking Authority. Located at the corner of 9th Ave and 11 Street SE in Calgary’s Inglewood neighbourhood, Park Park is a multi-use space of multi-parks—”a parking park, a sitting park, a playing park, a gathering park, a riding park, a park kind of park.”
The space (“Lot 43”) can still be used as a parking lot, but also allows for alternative uses (namely, Instagrammable photos and based on what I saw from my visit—a skate park), during off-peak parking times.
According to the Calgary Parking Authority:
PARK PARK will be a Calgary attraction that people travel to see, creating hype and bringing business to the community. We hope that PARK PARK will spark conversations about placemaking and enriches the neighbourhood.
When can you visit PARK PARK? This Instagrammable Park of Parks is open to the public 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. People can still park in PARK PARK (though, I wouldn’t want to be blocking people’s Instagrammable Park, personally… lol) and the space can also be rented for events!
How do you get to PARK PARK? PARK PARK / Lot 43 is located at the corner of 9th Ave and 11 Street SE in Calgary’s eclectic Inglewood neighbourhood. It’s a wonderful neighbourhood to walk, shop, and eat. It’s definitely a great destination for travellers (or locals playing tourist), and PARK PARK only adds to the many number of things to do in Inglewood. Funnily, there is street parking all around PARK PARK if you are driving there and don’t want to park IN the park… lol.
What else should you know about PARK PARK? During my visit on a Saturday afternoon mid-September 2020, PARK PARK was full of people of all ages. Families were strolling through and taking family photos. There were lots of cyclists and skateboarders using the space. Couples and groups of friends were seated on some of the intentional seating / table areas in the park. It was really lively and quite lovely.
PARK PARK was designed by Public City Architecture Inc. And the project is also supported by the Inglewood Business Improvement Association and community association. This September 2020 PARK PARK is also home to the Inglewood Night Market!
I love all the bright colours of PARK PARK! There are teals and yellows, pinks and reds, Instagrammable Walls and Floors abound. You can get really creative with photos (I didn’t during my visit but you could and should lol), snap shots through cut-out shapes, get low (because Instagrammable Floors are rare!) or do a classic up against one of the solid-coloured garage-style walls.
If you’re able to snag one of the limited seats, it would be a really nice place to hang out.
But if you’re just there for the photo, it’s perfect too!
Watch my 15-second video of my visit to PARK PARK in Calgary’s Inglewood neighbourhood:
@lindorable Exploring Calgary’s Instagrammable Parking Lot: PARK PARK in Inglewood! 🥰📸 Read my blog about PARK PARK at the link in my bio. ##ExploreAlberta ##yyc
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As if Calgary doesn’t already have enough amazing public art and Instagrammable Walls and spaces…
think it’s amazing that this parking lot was reimagined this way and I hope PARK PARK inspires more building / lot owners to do the same!
Because if you build (something Instagrammable), they will come!
lol. But actually.
And thank you to @karplop for telling me about PARK PARK!
- Be sure to check out my other Calgary, Alberta Travel Guides!
- Use my Guide to Instagrammable Walls of Calgary!
Linda
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