Staff, faculty and students are invited to a grand opening celebration for Penn Park on Thursday, Sept. 15, featuring a picnic at 5 p.m., music and games throughout the evening and a fireworks display at 7:30 p.m.

President Amy Gutmann and Board of Trustees Chairman David L. Cohen will host a ceremonial tree planting and then join student-athletes, cheerleaders, the Quaker mascot and the Penn Band in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the playing fields.

The Penn community is invited to return to the park on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. for Penn Park Field Day. Guests can play field games, partake in sports clinics, take a photo with Penn’s Heisman Trophy and head over to Franklin Field for the Penn vs. Lafayette football game. Refreshments will be available, and the first 1,000 visitors will receive free commemorative T-shirts. 

Information on Field Day is available during Games on the Walk on Locust Walk on Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by visiting pennpark.upenn.edu.

Penn Park, a keystone of the Penn Connects 30-year master development plan, is 24 acres of continuous open space that includes athletic and recreational facilities owned and operated by the University. It features Ace Adams Field and Dunning-Cohen Champions Field, both multipurpose NCAA regulation athletic fields, a 470-seat multipurpose stadium and 12 tennis courts with 200-seat viewing stands.

Between these facilities are pathways for walking and jogging, elevated bridge connections and open space for recreation. The park is served by a 210-car surface parking lot along lower Walnut Street. In addition, a security station and restrooms are housed in the multipurpose stadium.

Penn Park also exemplifies the University’s commitment to sustainability. More than 500 trees have been planted at the site, and the synthetic turf covering three of the fields allows rainwater to drain into underground cisterns for reuse and doesn’t require mowing, fertilizer or irrigation.