Niwot Children’s Park Marks 10 Years with Community Birthday Celebration
Niwot Children’s Park will celebrate a decade of play, friendship, and community on Friday, October 2, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with a birthday party open to the whole neighborhood.
The park, which opened in 2016 and has since become a beloved gathering spot anchored by its iconic mammoth sculpture, is marking its 10th anniversary with free treats, live music, and family-friendly entertainment.
Niwot Children’s Park was the vision of Jeff and Cynthia Lambert, who moved to Niwot with their children and set out to create a place young children could call their own. The Lamberts purchased the property at 101 First Avenue, across from Whistle Stop Park, from longtime Niwot resident Idell Leinweber, and developed a plan for a park featuring natural landscaping, several play structures, and a large woolly mammoth and fossils representing Colorado’s cultural history.Â
The Niwot Cultural Arts Association worked with Boulder County and the Lambert family to bring the vision to life, and the park opened in October 2016 following a $1 million fundraising effort that included support from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO). A decade later, that same community spirit keeps the park running: its upkeep is funded solely through donations from community members and the Rock & Rails Summer Concert Series, ensuring the mammoth, play structures, and open green space remain free and well cared for for the next generation of Niwot kids.
Guests can enjoy free cotton candy from Hugh Spun Sugar, free ice cream from Love Ice Cream, and free cookies courtesy of Niwot Market. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band will perform a handful of children’s songs — including a rendition of “Wooly Bully” — and a performer on stilts will roam the celebration. Members of the Niwot Rotary Club will also be on hand, reading books aloud for young park-goers.
The event is organized by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, the nonprofit behind the park’s original creation and ongoing upkeep. Attendees can also scan a QR code at the event to donate toward the park’s continued care.
“Play, friends, community” has been the guiding spirit behind Niwot Children’s Park since it broke ground, and this celebration is meant to reflect all three — a chance for neighbors old and new to come together and celebrate a decade of memories made among its play structures and trees.
Niwot Children’s Park is located in the heart of Niwot and remains free and open to the public year-round. Friday’s celebration is free to attend, with no registration required — just come ready to enjoy the music, sweets, and community spirit.
For more information about the Niwot Cultural Arts Association or to support the park’s future, visit niwotarts.org.
Event Details
- What: Niwot Children’s Park 10th Anniversary Birthday Party
- When: Friday, October 2, 2026, 5–6:30 p.m.
- Where: Niwot Children’s Park, Niwot, Colorado
- Cost: Free
- Highlights: Free cotton candy, ice cream, and cookies; live music from the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band; a stilt-walking performer; storytime with the Niwot Rotary Club
