Every city with any history has one park that locals point to first, and in New Westminster that park is Queen’s Park. Set back from the Fraser River on high ground above Uptown, it has been the Royal City’s flagship green space since 1887, and nearly a century and a half later it still does more jobs at once than almost any park we can think of in the Lower Mainland. There is a working stadium here, an arena that has hosted everything from ice sports to touring musical acts, a free petting zoo and aviary that has delighted generations of New Westminster kids, formal rose gardens, a bandshell, and stands of mature trees old enough to make the surrounding streets feel a world away from the SkyTrain, a walk of roughly 1.3 kilometres, about fifteen to twenty minutes on foot, to the south.
What makes Queen’s Park different from the city’s waterfront spaces, like Westminster Pier Park down along the Fraser, is that this is a genuinely residential, walkable heritage park, tucked into one of New Westminster’s oldest and leafiest neighbourhoods rather than out along the river. We come here for a quiet loop under the big trees as much as for a Salmonbellies lacrosse game or a summer concert at the arena, and it rewards a slow visit just as well as it does an event night. This guide walks through everything the park holds, from the animals to the arena to the practical details of getting there.
Queen’s Park Arena: A Community and Event Venue
Queen’s Park Arena is the building most visitors ask about first, and it has genuinely earned its reputation. The arena has stood since the 1930s and has spent the decades since as a home for ice sports, concerts, trade shows, and community gatherings, and it remains one of the larger indoor event venues in the Royal City.
The arena sits at the edge of the park closest to the stadium and stadium parking, which makes it an easy stop to combine with a walk through the rest of the grounds. Event schedules change with the seasons, so if you are planning a visit specifically to catch a show or a public skate, it is worth checking the City of New Westminster’s parks and recreation listings before you go rather than assuming a fixed calendar. On non-event days, the plaza around the arena is simply a pleasant place to pass through on the way to the gardens or the petting zoo.
History buffs will appreciate that the arena’s decades of hosting everything from public skating to community events give Queen’s Park a cultural weight that a lot of purely recreational parks do not have. It is a working building rather than a museum piece, which is part of the charm, since it means the park’s liveliest nights still happen in the same room where the city’s community events have played out for generations.
The Stadium and Its Sporting History
Queen’s Park Stadium is the other anchor building on the grounds, hosting baseball, soccer and football, and track and field over the years, along with civic events such as the Hyack Festival’s May Day celebrations. Just next to it, Queen’s Park Arena holds a special place in Canadian sport history as the home turf of the Westminster Salmonbellies, one of the oldest and most decorated box lacrosse clubs in the country. Lacrosse runs deep in New Westminster’s civic identity, and catching a Salmonbellies game at the arena during the season is one of the most authentically local things a visitor can do in the city.
The stadium’s grandstand and field sit just south of the arena, close enough that a single visit can easily take in both buildings along with the surrounding gardens. If you are timing a trip around a Salmonbellies game, it is worth checking the team’s own schedule and the box office details ahead of time, since game dates shift from year to year and season ticket demand from longtime fans can affect availability for popular matchups.
Even outside of game days, walking past the stadium and arena gives a sense of how much of New Westminster’s community life has funnelled through this one corner of the park for well over a century. The Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, housed at the Anvil Centre downtown, is a natural follow-up stop for anyone who wants the deeper history after a visit.
The Petting Zoo, Aviary, and Rose Gardens
For families, the small free petting zoo and aviary tucked into the park grounds is often the single biggest draw, and it has been a beloved fixture for generations of New Westminster kids. The petting zoo typically keeps a mix of farm animals, and the adjoining aviary houses a variety of birds, giving younger children a low-key, low-cost outing that does not require tickets or advance planning the way a full zoo trip would. Because it is free and small in scale, it works well as a twenty-minute stop rather than a full day commitment, which makes it easy to fold into a longer walk through the rest of the park.
A short walk from the petting zoo, the park’s formal rose gardens are one of the more quietly spectacular things in New Westminster during blooming season. Laid out in a classic formal style with pathways threading between the beds, the gardens draw photographers, wedding parties, and neighbourhood walkers alike, and the scent alone on a warm day is worth the detour. Because bloom timing depends on the weather each year, we would not pin down an exact peak week, but visiting anytime from late spring through summer generally rewards you with something in flower.
Between the animals, the gardens, and the mature shade trees scattered throughout this section of the park, this is the part of Queen’s Park that rewards unhurried wandering more than any single attraction does. It is also one of the more stroller and small-child friendly corners of the grounds, with paved paths connecting the zoo, gardens, and picnic areas without much elevation change.
Old Trees, the Bandshell, and Quiet Corners of the Park
Queen’s Park’s tree canopy is one of its most underrated features. Stands of mature, old growth style trees, some well over a century old, shade large sections of the park and give it a hushed, established feel that newer parks simply cannot replicate. Wandering the paths beneath these trees, away from the arena and stadium side, is a genuinely peaceful experience even on a busy weekend, and it is easy to see why the surrounding Queen’s Park neighbourhood, full of heritage homes on tree-lined streets, is considered one of the most desirable pockets of the city.
The park’s bandshell is another link to its long history as a gathering place. Historically used for outdoor concerts and civic events, it remains a scenic spot for a picnic even on a day with nothing scheduled, and it anchors one of the park’s more open lawn areas. Community events, seasonal concerts, and public gatherings have used the bandshell on and off for decades, and it is worth checking current city event listings if a live outdoor show is part of your plan.
Beyond the marquee attractions, Queen’s Park also holds sports fields, tennis courts, playgrounds, and quieter picnic areas scattered through the grounds, which is part of why residents return to it so often rather than treating it as a one-time destination. It functions as a genuine neighbourhood park for the people who live nearby and as a heritage attraction for visitors at the same time, which is a difficult balance for any city green space to strike.
Getting to Queen’s Park and Finding Your Way Around
Queen’s Park sits north of Uptown New Westminster, a walkable distance from the Columbia Street core and from Royal Avenue, on high ground that puts it a level above the waterfront neighbourhoods. It is roughly 1.3 kilometres from the New Westminster Station area, about a fifteen to twenty minute walk for most reasonably fit visitors, and city bus routes serving Uptown will drop you within a short walk of the park’s edges. Because the park spans a large footprint with the arena and stadium on one side and the gardens and petting zoo on another, it helps to have a rough sense of which attraction you are heading for before you arrive, since a full loop of the grounds takes real time.
Parking is available around the park, though it can fill up on stadium event days or during weekend gatherings, so arriving early or using transit is the more relaxed option when something is on at the arena or stadium. If you are building a longer day around New Westminster’s parks, our roundup of parks in New Westminster for family outings is a good next stop for other green spaces worth pairing with a Queen’s Park visit.
Tips for Visiting Queen’s Park
Visit the petting zoo and aviary earlier in the day if you are bringing young children, since animals tend to be more active before the afternoon heat sets in, and it keeps the visit short enough to pair with lunch elsewhere in the city afterward. The rose gardens are best enjoyed slowly, so build in extra time rather than rushing through on the way to somewhere else.
If you are hoping to catch a Salmonbellies lacrosse game or an event at the arena, check schedules before you go, since neither runs on a simple fixed weekly calendar and both can sell out for popular dates. Bring a picnic if the weather is good. The lawns near the bandshell and the shaded paths under the mature trees are some of the most pleasant places in New Westminster to sit down with food on a warm afternoon.
Wear comfortable shoes if you intend to see everything in one visit. The park’s footprint is larger than it looks from any single entrance, and the walk between the stadium side and the gardens and petting zoo side takes a genuine ten to fifteen minutes at an easy pace. For official event listings, hours, and any current construction notices, the City of New Westminster website is the most reliable source to check before you go.
Questions Often Asked
Is Queen’s Park in New Westminster free to visit?
Yes. The park grounds, gardens, bandshell area, and the small petting zoo and aviary are all free to visit. Specific ticketed events at Queen’s Park Arena, such as concerts or lacrosse games, may have their own admission costs, but simply walking the park and visiting the animals does not.
What is Queen’s Park Arena known for?
Queen’s Park Arena has been a New Westminster fixture since the 1930s and today operates as a multi-purpose community arena and the home of the Westminster Salmonbellies box lacrosse club, alongside ice sports, concerts, and public events throughout the year.
Who plays at Queen’s Park Stadium?
Queen’s Park Stadium hosts baseball, soccer and football, and track and field, along with civic events such as the Hyack Festival’s May Day celebrations. The Westminster Salmonbellies, one of the oldest and most storied box lacrosse teams in Canada, play next door at Queen’s Park Arena, not the stadium. Game and event schedules vary by season, so check current listings before planning a visit around either one.
Does Queen’s Park have a petting zoo?
Yes, Queen’s Park has a small, free petting zoo and aviary that has been a favourite of New Westminster families for generations. It typically houses a mix of farm animals and birds and makes for an easy, low cost outing, especially when combined with a walk through the nearby rose gardens.
How do I get to Queen’s Park from downtown New Westminster?
Queen’s Park sits north of the Columbia Street and Uptown core on higher ground, roughly 1.3 kilometres from New Westminster Station, about a fifteen to twenty minute walk, and is also served by local bus routes through Uptown. It pairs well with a day spent exploring Columbia Street, since the two areas are close enough to combine in a single outing on foot or via a short bus ride.
