Holiday Park keeps its 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. hours. The parks bond construction, which the city scheduled to begin in May 2026, has fenced off the parts of the park that run on no schedule at all: the playground, the western section of the Holiday Park Dog Park, and stretches of the walking paths. The parts that run on bookings, tickets and registration lists haven't stopped. Those are the tennis center, the ice rink and the auditorium.
Victoria Park sits right beside Holiday Park, so this split matters more here than anywhere else. The walk-over, ten-minute uses now need somewhere else to go. The planned outings can stay put.
What Sits Behind the Fence, and for How Long
The city's Holiday Park page lays out the construction rules plainly:
- The playground stays closed for the whole project.
- The dog park closed completely May 26 to 28, 2026, and its western section stays closed until construction ends.
- Parts of the walking paths are affected, with detours posted.
- Work hours run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and noise levels may run high during that window.
The contractor is Lunacon Construction Group. The city says the crew began mobilizing and staging equipment at the existing playground site. The Victoria Park Civic Association promoted a groundbreaking ceremony for Friday, May 29, 2026, at 2 p.m.
The finish date depends on which line of the city's page you read. The text says construction should be done by summer 2027, weather permitting. The schedule graphic at the top of the same page says May 2026 to fall 2027. The city's parks bond notice also says summer 2027 and adds that the date may change. If you plan on fall 2027, any earlier opening will be a pleasant surprise.
Lunacon's groundbreaking write-up describes what the fence is hiding: a new Everglades-themed playground, upgraded dog park facilities for both large and small dogs, shade structures over the baseball dugouts, new wayfinding signs, landscaping, and more accessible walking trails. That list covers every drop-in use the park has, which explains why those are the uses that closed.
The Dog Walk, Rebuilt Around Maintenance Mornings
Only the western section of the Holiday Park Dog Park is closed, so the rest of it is still open. Its regular hours, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., still apply, and it still closes Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8 to 11 for maintenance. With half the space fenced off, those two closed mornings take a bigger bite out of the week than they used to.
The city's other off-leash dog park keeps a different schedule. Snyder Park Bark Park is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closes Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8 to 11. It also closes all day on Christmas and New Year's Day. Because the maintenance mornings don't overlap, a dog owner who uses both parks can find an off-leash option open every weekday morning.
The beach is the third option, just across the Sunrise Boulevard bridge, and it runs on tighter hours.
| Spot | Hours | Off-limits window or rule |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Park Dog Park, open section | 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Closed Mon. and Wed., 8 to 11 a.m. |
| Snyder Park Bark Park | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Closed Tue. and Thu., 8 to 11 a.m.; closed Christmas and New Year's Day |
| Canine Beach, north of Sunrise Blvd. | 6 to 9 a.m., 5 to 7 p.m. | Lifeguard tower 16 to 100 yards north of Sunrise only |
| A1A dog walking, west side, Sunrise to Seabreeze | 6 to 9 a.m., 5 to 7 p.m. | North of Sunrise, the west side is open 24 hours |
All three fenced parks share a few rules. Each person can bring up to three dogs. Puppies under four months aren't allowed at Holiday Park or Snyder Park, and food isn't allowed inside either one.
A longer leashed walk is another option this year. In November 2024 the city started allowing dogs in all 110 of its parks. Dogs must stay on a leash no longer than six feet, and they're still barred from playgrounds, athletic fields, courts, splash pads and beaches. A leashed walk around the open parts of Holiday Park still counts, as long as you follow the posted path detours.
Up the road, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park at 3109 E. Sunrise Blvd. is open from 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year. Entry costs $2 on foot or by bicycle, $4 for a car with only a driver, and $6 for a car carrying up to eight people, according to Florida State Parks. Leashed pets are welcome where allowed. The state pet policy keeps them off beaches, boardwalks, playgrounds, bathing areas and buildings.
The Playground Gap Is Wider Than the Dog Gap
Dogs still have an open section at Holiday Park. Kids don't, because the playground is closed for the whole project. The closest city-listed replacements are both on Bayview Drive. George English Park at 1101 Bayview Dr. has a playground and a walking path. Bayview Park at 4401 Bayview Dr. also has a playground. Both list hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The city directory doesn't show daily status updates, so check before you go.
The neighborhood's own namesake park doesn't fill the gap yet. Victoria Park at 2 N. Victoria Park Rd. has open lawn, a gazebo and a waterfront edge, but no playground. One is planned. The city's parks bond project page for project P12679 lists a $205,000 budget, a finished playground design, and civic association feedback being worked in. It says construction is expected in 2026. The page still lists the project's status as "Design," and the civic association's earlier post had targeted installation for summer 2026. The Victoria Park Civic Association news feed is the place to watch for a start date.
The Scheduled Half Keeps Its Calendar
The rest of Holiday Park runs on registration and tickets, and none of it moved for the construction.
The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center at 701 NE 12th Ave. is open 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. It offers lessons, ball-machine rental, locker rooms and a pro shop. Baptist Health IcePlex, the official practice facility of the Florida Panthers, holds public skating sessions. Admission is $18 and skate rental is $5. Spots are limited, so pre-registration is required.
Right next door, War Memorial Auditorium has a full holiday-season lineup on its event calendar:
- Nov. 7: Victoria Monét, Frequency of Love Tour
- Nov. 11: Lenny Pearce, Toddler Rave World Tour
- Nov. 14 through Jan. 2, 2027: Panthers Learn to Play, with registration through the Panthers
- Nov. 23 to 24: Thanksgiving-break Hockey Camp
- Nov. 23 to 25: Thanksgiving-break Cat's Camp
- Dec. 3 to 4: Dark Star Orchestra
- Dec. 5: Beartooth, Pure Ecstasy World Tour
- Dec. 12: Sabaton, Legends On Tour, rescheduled
- Dec. 19: JBeatz, It's Getting Late Tour
A Nov. 18 show on the same calendar has been cancelled. Event listings can change, so check the auditorium's page before buying tickets.
The playground closure hits families with young children hardest, and the calendar gives them a few dates that make up for it. The Lenny Pearce toddler show and the Thanksgiving-break camps fall right in the stretch when the Everglades-themed playground is still behind a fence.
The Detours Outside the Park
The park isn't the only construction zone in the neighborhood. The city's Victoria Park stormwater project started January 5, 2026, and is expected to run into early 2028. It covers 43,000 feet of pipe, 360 drainage structures and a pump station. Along the way it brings temporary lane and road closures, and home access stays open throughout. That project will outlast the Holiday Park work by several months. If your walk to the open part of the dog park crosses a work zone this winter, expect that route to keep shifting after the new playground opens.
Holiday Park will come back with more than it had before the fence went up, including improved dog facilities for both large and small dogs and an Everglades-themed playground. Until then, the easiest way to use the park is to pick a date on the calendar.
If you're weighing how a year of park and street construction affects a Victoria Park home, or planning updates of your own while the neighborhood is under construction, Laurie's Lauderdale Group is glad to talk it through. Request a Design + Market Consultation, and we'll look at your street, your timing and your plans together.
