Newsroom

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is pleased to announce a recreation opportunity for a Gainesville family to enjoy a year’s worth of events, programs, tours and more, at no cost! Now in its third year, the Michelle Park Family Recreation Scholarship provides a low- to moderate-income family from Gainesville the opportunity to participate in nature, recreation and cultural activities which are offered by PRCA and other providers in the community, such as the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Arts and the Florida Museum of Natural History. This scholarship was made possible through the generous gift of an anonymous donor.

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is excited to announce that construction of a new restroom building and pavilion at Smokey Bear Park will begin soon. The construction is scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 20 and is expected to be complete in late October.

Reggae band De Lions of Jah, who were rained out after two songs at their June 30 “Free Fridays” concert, have rescheduled to perform Friday, Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. De Lions of Jah, from Jacksonville, Florida, has been dubbed “the best reggae band in Duval County.”

It is student move-in time in Gainesville! This year, that includes The Standard at Gainesville, located at the intersection of 13th Street and University Avenue, opening its doors to 1,200 students on Friday, Aug. 18. Given the location and number of students, the City of Gainesville is providing an unprecedented level of coordination to ensure the building and site are safe for students moving in, pedestrians and motorists.

University of Florida (UF) students have completed a second successful summer of helping youth from the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs (PRCA) Department’s Foundations Academy Summer Camp.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is proud to announce its collaboration with Peaceful Paths and Community Bank & Trust of Florida. The partnership has served the middle school aged participants of Foundations Academy, a teen summer camp that took place at T.B. McPherson Center, 1717 SE 15th St.

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (PRCA) and Public Works Departments wish to advise visitors of Sweetwater Wetlands Park of the yearly sediment removal project. Certain areas of the park will be closed to the public access during the work; the rest of the park will remain open.

Captive Eddies will play a concert at “Free Fridays” Friday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. at Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville. Captive Eddies' influences span from classic rock, reggae, blues, folk, funk, classical bluegrass and jazz. 

The Savants of Soul will play at “Free Fridays” Friday, Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. They are a nine-piece Motown soul band built on a foundation of blues, soul, jazz, rock ’n’ roll, punk and ska. In 2015, the band released the EP “Sunday Best,” which followed the release of 2014's full-length LP “Downtown Sound.” The band performed at the Red Gorilla Festival at South by Southwest in 2017, and they have shared the stage with acts such as Charles Bradley, The Original Wailers, Thomas Wynn & The Believers and Selwyn Birchwood.