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Falls Park has many fine mature trees, beautiful flowers, horticultural displays and grassland areas. We have installed public access defibrillators for park users at Falls Park.
Improvements to Falls Park
The park has:
- a free outdoor gym suitable for all ages and abilities
- a dedicated youth area suitable for a range of uses, including an outdoor classroom
- a refurbished play park with modern play equipment
Work is also underway on a new 3G pitch, changing pavilion and open space improvements in Falls Park.
Getting to Falls Park
Enter the park at Falls Road. If you are travelling by public transport, take Glider route G1 in the direction of McKinstry Road from Belfast city centre. Get off opposite the park, beside Milltown Cemetery, or plan your journey with Translink (link opens in new window).
Green Flag awards
Falls Park has been awarded the Green Flag Award every year from 2011 to 2022. This award recognises the best open spaces in the UK.
History of Falls Park
In June 1866, Belfast Corporation bought 101 acres of land on Falls Road from the Sinclair family. Some of the land was set aside for the building of Belfast City Cemetery, but the rest was earmarked for a new park.
As the land initially fell outside the Belfast city boundary, the area was not considered a public park until the Public Parks (Ireland) Act was passed in 1869.
The area, now known as Falls Park, was established in 1873.
In 1924, an outdoor swimming pool, known locally as ‘the Cooler’, was added to the park. It cost £3,000 to build and was fed by the Ballymurphy Stream, which still flows through the area today. The pool closed in 1979 for public health reasons.
Park events
To find out what events and activities are on in our parks, go to Park events.
Parkrun
Falls Park hosts a 5km parkrun every Saturday at 9.30am.
Park opening times
Our parks open at 7.30am every day. Closing times change as daylight lengthens or shortens. Ballysillan Park and Glenbank Park close 30 minutes before our other parks.
| Date | Closing time |
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| 22 November to 31 December 2024 | 4.30pm |
| 2025 | |
| 1 to 11 January | 4.30pm |
| 12 January to 1 February | 5pm |
| 2 February to 8 February | 5.30pm |
| 9 February to 15 February | 6pm |
| 16 February to 22 March | 6.30pm |
| 23 March to 5 April | 7.30pm |
| 6 April to 12 April | 8pm |
| 13 April to 26 April | 8.30pm |
| 27 April to 10 May | 9pm |
| 11 May to 24 May | 9.30pm |
| 25 May to 19 July | 10pm |
| 20 July to 2 August | 9.30pm |
| 3 August to 23 August | 9pm |
| 24 August to 30 August | 8.30pm |
| 31 August to 13 September | 8pm |
| 14 September to 27 September | 7.30pm |
| 28 September to 18 October | 6.30pm |
| 19 October to 25 October | 6pm |
| 26 October to 8 November | 5.30pm |
| 9 November to 22 November | 5pm |
| 23 November to 31 December | 4.30pm |
| 2026 | |
| 1 to 10 January | 4.30pm |