MacArthur Park, centered along Anaheim Street in Long Beach’s Cambodia Town neighborhood, will reopen this month after more than a year of renovations.
The four-acre park, closed in April 2024, has been improved with a $10.5 million remodel to its sports courts, playground and picnic areas with the addition of seating areas, lights, pagoda-style shading and a walking trail, among other features. Of that total, $8.5 million was covered by state grant funds.
The city also paid for a new irrigation system, fencing and scores of newly planted trees.
According to a city memo, improvements will have a “Southeast Asian and Cambodian design theme,” in honor of the surrounding Cambodia Town neighborhood.
Its reopening will be celebrated on July 26 with a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting near the park entrance (1321 E. Anaheim St.). Dignitaries include Vice Mayor Roberto Uranga, Councilwoman Suely Saro, and administrators with the city’s Parks, Recreation and Marine and Public Works departments.
According to a city spokesperson, the project is more than a month ahead of schedule — originally meant to finish in late August. Construction will likely continue through the week leading up to the ribbon cutting.
Saro invited neighbors to the ceremony, where she said families can enjoy free pizza, ice cream and activities that show off the new park.
“It will be a joyful moment that marks a new chapter for this important community space,” she said and thanked state Sen. Lena Gonzalez for securing the state grant money that paid for the majority of the work.