Eirias Park (Parc Eirias) is a 50‑acre park in Colwyn Bay featuring top-tier sports and leisure amenities—athletics stadium, synthetic pitch, indoor pool with slide, fitness gym, boating lake, playground, skate park and tennis courts. Originally opened in the 1920s and transformed through major upgrades in 1981 and 2011, it now hosts rugby, football, concerts, heritage walks and community events. Easily accessible by car or public transport, it’s a lively hub of sport, leisure and local culture overlooking the North Wales coast.
🌳 Eirias Park – Colwyn Bay’s 50-Acre Leisure Landmark
Eirias Park, often called “the park by the sea,” spans 50 acres of landscaped parkland in Colwyn Bay. The local council bought its first 27 acres in 1921, and the remainder in 1929; the playing fields officially opened on 27 September 1923. It’s been a focal point for sport, community, and leisure for over a century.
⚽ Recreation & Sports Facilities
The park includes a world-class sports complex:
Eirias Stadium, opened in June 1955, was extensively redeveloped in 2011 for athletics, rugby, football, and events, now seating up to ~6,080 spectators (with up to 15,000 capacity for concerts).
A 400 m, 8‑lane athletics track with steeplechase, long jump, high jump, discus, javelin and more.
A floodlit synthetic pitch used for rugby, football, hockey; home also to the Wales U20 rugby squad and the North Wales Crusaders rugby league club.
Colwyn Leisure Centre, opened by Princess Margaret in 1981, offers a six-lane 25 m swimming pool with slide, fitness studios, sauna, steam room, and gym equipment including high-performance training zones.
Additional facilities: indoor/outdoor tennis courts, bowling greens, boating lakes, children’s play areas, picnic zones and a wheeled skate park (“Dan’s Den”) designed for scooters, skateboards, BMX and inline skates.
🎉 Events & Community Activities
Eirias Stadium is used for local, national and international sporting events, and also hosts big-name concerts such as Elton John, Noel Gallagher, Little Mix, and Tom Jones at the annual Access All Eirias festival.
The site runs heritage trails—a two-mile circular walking route marked with QR-code waypoints bringing to life stories of dinosaurs, marionettes, past zoo sites, boating lakes and other historic features of the park.
The Conwy Conservation & Environment Federation helps care for the boating lake reed-bed, woodland, and organises local cleanup and tree-planting events throughout the park.
🏗️ Heritage & Modern Upgrades
The park has undergone successive upgrades: the 1950s stadium build, the 1981 leisure centre, and the 2011 £6.5 million stadium and events centre redevelopment under the Bay Life regeneration programme. These upgrades established Eirias Park as a centre of sporting excellence and community activity in North Wales.
🚗 Access & Visitor Info
Location: Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, LL29 7SP
Parking: Public parking available across the park, including car parks near the leisure centre.
Open: Most facilities open daily, with varying hours (the leisure centre opens as early as 6 am on weekdays).
Accessibility: Paths and facilities are wheelchair‑accessible; terrain is fairly level around the core zones.
📝 Final Reflection
Eirias Park offers far more than just greenspace—it’s a comprehensive recreational and cultural resource that serves sports teams, families, and visitors alike. Whether you’re training on its Olympic-standard athletics track, cooling off in the leisure pool, or enjoying an outdoor concert overlooking the bay, Parc Eirias blends heritage, health, and community under one wide Welsh sky.