Hold the date: Party time along Armada Way

10th June 2026

We’re inviting people to come to along to see the epic results of the hard work that everyone has put in to creating this magnificent space on Armada Way.

On Saturday 4 July we will open Armada Way - which is now home to one of the country’s biggest city centre play villages.

Lots of amazing things are being planned along the half kilometre stretch of the city centre which has been transformed into gardens, terraces with 176 new trees and 25,000 fabulous new flora and fauna from wildflowers to grasses, reed beds and shrubs.

The official opening gets underway at 12 noon with a short ribbon cutting ceremony before children can onto the new play village to explore new worlds that have been created right here in the city centre. They include:

• Sandy desert toddlers play – with wooden huts, swings and slides – for little ones only
• The new lands adventure play area – with a rocky mountain to climb and a pirate shipwreck for young wannabe buccaneers from Britain’s Ocean City to let their imagination run wild.
• Water jet and interactive stream – dancing water jets and a system of scoops, buckets and weirs for budding engineers
• Woodland tree houses and climbing  – for games and climbing. There’s a giant dodecahedron hideaway, cargo nets to climb, bars to swing from and a layer of mulch for soft landings
• Grassland sound sensory play space – a calmer zone for children who prefer something gentler. It has a sound stone –  a singing hollow for children to hum into and feel the vibration their own voice makes,  tubular chimes,  mesmerising impulse spheres – a giant Newton’s cradle – and step-on windpipes.

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member responsible for Armada Way, said: “We’ve all been waiting for this day for a long time, and I can’t wait to see everyone enjoy themselves. We wanted to bring new life into the city centre – it won’t come much livelier than this.

“It’s certainly been a journey to get here. We know it has been tough at times for our businesses just look at it now. It is brilliant! This scheme has utterly transformed the look and feel of the city centre. We invested in this scheme because we want our city centre to be a great place to visit, to be a destination.

“Our city centre is already bucking national trends with footfall well and truly up and we hope this regeneration will encourage more families in particular to enjoy this fabulous FREE facility and perhaps treat themselves to a pasty and a coffee while their children enjoy this new play village. 

“This scheme has so many features worth reminding people about – over 25,000 flowers planted, over 500 spaces for people to sit on – and we’ve seen so many people enjoy the south facing views on sunny days. We have opened up the city centre as a place to be and a place to enjoy.”

Steve Hughes, chief executive of the Plymouth City Centre Company which represents the interests of the 550 businesses in the city centre, said: “We are delighted with the way Armada Way has been transformed into a beautiful urban park where people can gather, watch or join in events or sit outside at one of the many pavement cafes. With new seating, lighting and lots of open space it is more welcoming and attracting lots of interest from new businesses wanting to open here. It’s great news for the city centre.”

On the big day music and entertainment will fill the amphitheatre at the top of the scheme which is fast becoming THE place for bands. Weapons of Sound will bring their funky brand of dynamic drumming to fill the air and acoustic performances are being planned throughout the day.

Jonty Depp the Pirate will make sure the new wreck passes muster and giant seagulls will assess the splash factor of the water jets which will be operational for the first time. There’s circus skills, stilt walkers and a host of organisations and traders lined up along the way which had been designed to offer space for pop ups and events.

Water will be switched on and running through the rill – or man-made stream. This is not just an ornamental feature but helps feed and water the new plants of Armada Way.

It is part of our SuDS (sustainable urban drainage system) which manages all surface water falling on Armada Way, mimicking a natural drainage system. The system reduces the amount of runoff into the sewer system by up to 77 per cent using rain gardens and underground storage tanks to store rainwater after its filtered through natural reed beds.

The £29.89 million project has opened up the grand sweeping vista of Armada Way from North Cross to the Hoe once more. Other features include

• 12- and 15-metre-high lighting throughout and feature lighting to up-light plants and create patterns on the ground.
• A much-improved CCTV system and clear views across Armada Way
• Cycling path that meanders down steeper sections of the route to reduce speeds. Cycle racks and Beryl Bike hubs have also been installed
• Pop-up spaces with water and power – pop-up spaces will be available for retail, arts and entertainment.
• Solar panels that contribute energy to running the new surface water drainage system that recycles the water to maintain the plants and trees. 
• A range of habitats, shrubs, wildflowers and reed beds, as well as bug hotels and bird boxes

Find out more about the Armada Way Opening Day Party on Saturday 4 July.