Waterloo Greenway Outdoor Venue Timely Enhancement to Downtown Austin

by Brian Maass on August 16, 2021 in Entertainment, Music, Lifestyle, Family, Living Texas, Austin,
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Austin, Texas is famously known as the Live Music Capital of the World. Live music can be found in the Capitol city every night, whether at a bar on Sixth Street or the highly popular ACL Fest at Zilker Park. 

Back in the ‘70s, the City of Austin got involved and created Waterloo Park, which hosted events such as Fun Fun Fun Fest, Spamarama and others. 

Now, having closed in 2011, the 11-acre Waterloo Park is open once again, and this time is home to the brand new Moody Amphitheater.

A spectacular aerial view of downtown Austin’s recently opened Waterloo Park, home to the newly built Moody Amphitheater which will host concerts, cultural and community events year round. Courtesy photo

An Area Of and For the Community

This timely new community outdoor space officially reopened on August 14th. Back in May, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said, the reopening would provide the community reimagined play spaces, relaxing leisure areas, and build upon Austin’s offerings of some of the greatest outdoor live events in the nation. “Waterloo Park will serve as a symbol of inclusivity and resilience through nature, history, community, culture and the arts,” said Adler.

The all-new kids play area includes a mega grass maze, log jam structure and a hillside stone slide, which is made of granite and traveled to Austin all the way from Germany. Photo Brian Maass

Pontoon Bridge to Provide New Links

Once the Waterloo Greenway has been completed, there will be a continuous path from Waterloo Park to Lady Bird Lake. This will provide an easy pathway to walk directly through the heart of downtown Austin. About 3 miles in length, the trail will include a floating pontoon bridge so pedestrians can cross the river without having to walk through the busy downtown area. It’s sure to be an interesting addition to the existing hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake.

Season of Free Events

During its opening season plans, are in place for Waterloo Park to have free activities for the family, concerts, and other events which will feature cultures from all over the world. Some of the events to look forward to starting in the fall are the Lebermann Plaza Concert Series running September-November, Dia de Los Muertos Festival in October, and the Holiday Cinema, presenting free holiday-themed movies. 

With fun activities such as free yoga, and weekly workouts on offer at Waterloo Park, visitors can also bring a picnic basket, or purchase food from the onsite food trucks. Photo Brian Maass

Gary Clark Jr. and More

The Moody Amphitheater will also play host to some of music’s biggest stars. Austin’s own Gary Clark Jr. is scheduled to play the first concert at the amphitheater August 20th to officially kick off the Moody Amphitheater concert series. (He returns for a second concert the following night.)

In the fall, bands such as the Counting Crows, Lord Huron and Glass Animal will all play at the amphitheater. As an added bonus, Waterloo Greenway has teamed with Live Nation/C3 productions to offer 100 free tickets to every concert through a lottery system. All of the upcoming events can be found on the Moody Amphitheater’s website. 

On August 20th and 21st, native Austinite Gary Clark Jr. will officially open Waterloo Park’s new Moody Amphitheater. The lawn in front will hold up to 5,000 people. Photo courtesy Gary Clark Jr.

For all of the exciting upcoming events, be sure to check out the Waterloo Greenway’s page, or follow for updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Cover photo courtesy Waterloo Greenaway

Brian Maass enjoys live music, and sharing good times at a local brewery or winery with his wife and friends. If he is not at a concert, then you will find Brian at a National Park photographing the amazing scenery this world has to offer. IG: brian_maass_adventures