Overnight on Thursday, September 17 and extending into the early morning of Friday, September 18, there will be night time work at Mulock Park. Contractors will be removing the temporary security fencing in preparation for the Grand Opening on Friday evening.

Work will not impact the roadway. Town staff will monitor the Contractor’s work to assist with minimizing noise impacts.

Mulock Park remains closed to the general public until the Grand Opening at 5:00 pm on Friday. We look forward to welcoming you at that time! Click here to learn more about the Grand Opening festivities!

In anticipation of the Mulock Park Grand Opening event from September 18 to 20, 2026, the Town of Newmarket will be implementing several parking measures to help manage traffic flow in your neighbourhood.

The measures include:

• Installation of “Local Traffic Only” signs at:
  1. Clearmeadow Boulevard and Jordanray Boulevard
     • Moveable barricades and staff will be present at these intersections to ensure access is limited to local traffic from September 18 to 20 only.
  2. Doubletree Lane and Jordanray Boulevard
     • Moveable barricades and staff will be present at these intersections to ensure access is limited to local traffic from September 18 to 20 only.
  3. Mulock Drive and Doubletree Lane
  4. Clearmeadow Boulevard and Yonge Street
• Installation of temporary “No Parking” signs at select intersections to remind motorists that parking is prohibited within 15 metres of an intersection. These temporary signs will help maintain safe sightlines, access, and traffic flow in these areas.
  1. Installation will occur on September 17, 2026, at the following intersections:
     • Jordanray Boulevard and Doubletree Lane (2 signs)
     • Jordanray Boulevard and Menczel Crescent (west) / Osler Court (6 signs)
     • Jordanray Boulevard and Menczel Crescent (east) (4 signs)
• Installation of “No Parking” signs at the Mulock Park entrance on Jordanray Boulevard, as this area is designated as a fire route.

Existing parking restrictions will remain unchanged, and on-street parking will continue to be permitted in accordance with the Town's parking bylaws.

To educate park visitors, the Town will implement a comprehensive marketing and communications campaign to help reduce parking demand in the area. This campaign will promote the free shuttle service from the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex and Magna Centre, as well as the locations of designated parking lots for the park, through various communication channels, including large roadside signs, social media, the Town’s website, and more.

By-law officers will monitor and enforce existing parking regulations and respond to parking concerns.

We thank residents for their patience and understanding as we prepare to open Mulock Park to the community.

To learn more about the Mulock Park Grand Opening event, please visit Newmarket.ca/MulockPark

The wait is almost over! At the closing night of Newmarket’s award-winning music series and kick off to Summerfest on Main, the Town of Newmarket announced that Mulock Park will open on Friday, September 18 with grand opening celebrations all weekend (Sept. 18-20). Residents and visitors are invited to this milestone moment for one of the most significant projects in the Town’s history.

Located at the corner of Yonge Street and Mulock Drive, Mulock Park will open as a four-season destination where nature, art, recreation, heritage and people come together. The grand opening weekend will provide residents a first look at a park shaped by their voices and designed to be enjoyed for generations.

“Mulock Park is more than a park - it is Newmarket’s new backyard, a place where people can gather, explore, celebrate, learn and make memories together,” said Mayor John Taylor. “This opening marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our community, and we cannot wait to welcome everyone to experience this extraordinary space.”

Opening weekend highlights

Taking place Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20, Mulock Park will come alive during its grand opening weekend with a vibrant lineup celebrating community, creativity, and connection. Residents and visitors are invited to enjoy live performances, explore visual arts and local history, participate in dance and art workshops, and experience activities like roller skating, kite flying, and more.

Visit newmarket.ca/MulockPark for more details coming soon!

Following the grand opening, programming will continue throughout the year with events and activities such as a fall harvest festival, roller skating, ice skating, arts workshops, fitness classes and more.

A four-season destination for Newmarket and beyond

From summer splashing to winter skating, quiet garden moments to vibrant events, Mulock Park has been designed as a destination for every season.

The park will feature the Woodland Loop, a skating trail through the trees that connects to a central ice rink, which transforms into a water play feature in warmer months. The skate trail is one of the longest refrigerated municipal trails in Ontario. Those young, and young at heart can climb, swing and explore the Hollow Log Play Park, a natural play area with water, sand and wood demonstrating the lifecycle of a forest.

The restored green spaces and accessible paths call on visitors to explore the 16-acre park, where they can discover public artwork inspired by nature, dip their toes in the trickling Riverine water feature and put down a blanket for a picnic on one of three lawns, surrounded by majestic trees, including the vast black walnuts.

Art Gallery of Ontario in our own backyard

Through a unique partnership between the Town and the Art Gallery of Ontario, visitors have free access to curated exhibitions in our own backyard. The 2,000-square-foot gallery space on the second floor of the restored Mulock House features works from the AGO's collections of Indigenous and Canadian art.

Mulock House will also feature many restored areas, including a library lounge in Sir William Mulock’s former study, and a few hidden gems to be discovered! The first floor will host the Chickadee Café, independently operated by A Million Mouthfuls Catering, a local Newmarket business.

Taste what’s brewing

Get a taste of what’s to come at the Coffee Party hosted by the Chickadee Café at Summerfest On Main. Join us on Saturday, August 22 from 9 to 11 a.m. to enjoy a free coffee and pastry and talk with the Mulock Park team about the project and programming.

Rooted in history, designed for the future

Mulock Park has a storied past shaped by centuries of Indigenous presence, settler agriculture and six generations of one of Canada’s most influential families.

Purchased by the Town in 2018, the landmark Mulock property carries a deep local history. Sir William Mulock purchased the property in 1880 and it remained home to six generations of the Mulock family over 137 years. Today, the site has been thoughtfully reimagined as a public gathering place that honours its past while creating new opportunities for recreation, culture, environmental stewardship and connection.

Sustainability is also built into the park’s future. Features such as geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, rain gardens, a green roof and energy-efficient renovations will help reduce environmental impact and support the park’s long-term stewardship.

Check out a preview of what's coming: https://youtu.be/A1_6k05a31w

Join us at Summerfest on Main to get a sneak peek of what’s brewing at Mulock Park! On Saturday, August 22 from 9 to 11 a.m. pop by the Coffee Party hosted by the Chickadee Café, which will open soon in Mulock House. Taking place at the corner of Timothy and Main Street, visitors can enjoy a free coffee and pastry and talk with the Mulock Park team about the project, programming and what to expect when the park opens later this summer!

Did you know? Summerfest on Main was recognized as Canada’s top event hosted by a municipality – come check it out! Learn more at newmarket.ca/SummerfestOnMain

PLANT Architects Inc. has been working on the Mulock Park project since 2019 when the firm was selected to create the masterplan and guide the work for the transformation of the former private estate into a public hub for culture, recreation and connecting with nature.

In this post, PLANT shares some inspiration from the Designer's Desk on a key feature throughout the park – water

Water, in the form of ice, sculpted much of Ontario. Newmarket is situated on the northern edge of one of the province’s most significant landforms: the 160-km-long Oak Ridges Moraine, which stretches east from the Niagara Escarpment to the Peterborough region. The way that soil and boulders were deposited by advancing and retreating glaciers, shaping the local landscape, was a key inspiration for the water features designed by PLANT for the Town of Newmarket’s Mulock Park. All these features incorporate large boulders, and together they tell a site-wide story about the importance of preserving clean water supply. We’re sharing images taken in July, when water feature testing was conducted in advance of planting completion.

Throughout this 6.47-hectare public park, rain gardens and infiltration manage all stormwater and protect downstream water in the moraine.

In summer, the ‘wet plaza’ at Cedar Circle is a play area for kids and a spot where adults can enjoy a refreshing stroll. In winter, it converts to an ice rink that links to the woodland skate trail.
📷Steven Evans Photography



The Riverine – shown here early in the planting process – is Mulock Park’s block-long fountain. Its boulders and meandering curves allude to the actions of advancing and retreating glaciers which created the Oak Ridges Moraine. 📷Steven Evans Photography

Flowing water splashes around small, smooth stones in the Riverine, inviting park visitors on hot summer days to take their shoes off and cool their feet. 📷Steven Evans Photography

We’re in the home stretch to create Mulock Park, set to be a new community hot spot when it opens later this summer. More than 90% of the work is complete and the Town is preparing for opening the park including Mulock House, five other buildings, and more than 16 acres of green space.

Here’s what’s happening on site:

• Buildings are nearly complete. The exterior work is complete, equipment is installed, utilities are connected, and we are starting up the mechanical and electrical systems.
  
  
• House restoration is taking final form: exterior finishes have been lovingly restored. Interior finishes like paint, plaster, and flooring are underway. The veranda is complete, with two levels of outdoor space. The new glass vestibule, which includes an elevator, is visible from Mulock Drive.
  
  
• Grading is complete and sod is in progress across the three lawns, we call the West Lawn (formerly the Jim Bond Park area), Heritage Lawn and Great Lawn.
  
  
• Plantings are underway. The naturalization plantings in the forest are done, the last of the trees are being planted, and the gardens are taking shape. Some areas will remain protected to help establish the ecosystem to create a healthy habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and wildlife.

Coming up:

• Installing the new elevator to make all three levels of Mulock House accessible.
  
  
• Finishing the entry bridge deck and railings to welcome visitors from the corner of Yonge Street and Mulock Drive. Much work has been done to establish a new, primary pedestrian entrance, building on the existing water area to foster a natural marsh-type space, with an accessible steel entry bridge to guide guests into the park.
  
  
• Establishing the Great Lawn with fresh sod: placing a carpet of green in this beautiful 2 acre open area.
  
  
• Turning on the riverine water feature to create a trickling brook parallel to Yonge Street.
  
  
• Completing the Heritage Lawn (west of Mulock House), finishing the boardwalk surrounding it and a modern reconstruction of the historic Dunington-Grubb garden features with trellises, a reflecting pool and fountain, flagstone paths, and gardens. Peonies from the Mulock’s garden have been nurtured in a temporary nursery during construction and will be replanted in these historic gardens, reflecting the past and future of the property. At one point in the more recent Mulock history, the peony beds were said to have spanned over fifty feet west of the house, and were prominent among the many notable plants in the beautiful gardens.
  
  
• Installing wayfinding signage at the park entrances and throughout the site to guide guests.
  
  
• Completing installation of public art embedded throughout the site.

Once construction is complete, the Town will move in and prepare the site to welcome the community.

• The Town’s forestry team has inventoried all trees and has been monitoring tree health. Unfortunately, some trees were damaged during the recent severe storm of July 3. The team will conduct standard maintenance work to manage tree health and public safety, including tree pruning, supportive cabling and limited selective tree removal, to ensure the site is safe for guests.
  
  
• The Mulock Drive and Yonge Street parking lot entrances will be opened, and the Mulock Multi-Use Path re-opened. In addition to transit and multi-use path links, there are 40 parking spaces at the Mulock Drive Parking Lot, and more than 200 spaces at the Yonge Street Parking Lot.
  
  
• The Art Gallery of Ontario will install the first exhibit featuring works from its collections of Canadian and Indigenous art.
  
  
• Local catering company, A Million Mouthfuls Catering will develop the menu and set-up operations for the Chickadee Café, located on the first floor of the Mulock House (learn more here)

As we get closer to the finish line, the Town looks forward to announcing the date of the grand opening celebrations, a full weekend filled with activities for the whole community.

📷Designers walk the Woodland Loop, which awaits final plantings and guardrail.

Grading in progress on the Great Lawn which will be a gorgeous green-grass oasis when the park is complete. Visitors can sit on the boulders and dip their toes into the Riverine. A second floor bedroom converted into part of the gallery space which will feature works from the Art Gallery of Ontario. The original fireplace has been kept in place and you can see a glass guard added to the restored windows to meet modern safety standards while maintaining the original look.

New trees planted next to the Glass Hall greenhouse conservatory. When it’s in full bloom, guests will walk through the trellis arbour into a raised garden.

The vision for Mulock Park was born from the voices of thousands of residents who participated in a community-wide engagement process in 2020. Together, they imagined a destination that would bring people together through culture, recreation, nature, and community connection. Among the strongest and most consistent themes was a call for food service to help make the park a community destination.

Today, the Town of Newmarket announces a partnership with A Million Mouthfuls Catering, a local company rooted in the community, which will operate the Chickadee Café within the historic Mulock House, a key feature of Mulock Park.

The Town conducted an extensive open and competitive bid process to secure an independent operator to run the café within Mulock House, a Town facility.

“The Town reviewed applicants from across Ontario as part of the procurement process, with A Million Mouthfuls being the successful proponent,” says Ian McDougall, Chief Administrative Officer. “By partnering with a local catering company, we're investing in local entrepreneurship while creating a warm and inviting gathering space that complements the natural beauty and community spirit of Mulock Park.”

The Chickadee Café will be situated on the main floor of the Mulock House, with seating inside and outside on the veranda, overlooking the great lawn. Mulock House is equipped with a full kitchen, a café counter and the capacity to support catered special occasions at the park.

“We're thrilled to be a part of the Town's monumental Mulock Park and to have the opportunity to bring the Chickadee Café to life, to create a space where the community will flock, where every season is celebrated and everyone is welcomed with warmth,” says Anne-Marie Millions, owner of A Million Mouthfuls Catering.

The storied private residence has intrigued the community for generations and will soon be open to the public to enjoy. Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, the former home of the Mulock family is being preserved, updated, and re-imagined with a café, lounge in Sir William Mulock’s library, gathering spaces and an art gallery in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

The café’s name is inspired by the Black-capped Chickadee, a familiar bird found year-round in Newmarket’s parks, trails and neighbourhoods. Known for its curious nature, cheerful call and adaptability through Ontario’s changing seasons, the chickadee reflects the warmth, community and welcoming spirit envisioned for the café experience at Mulock Park.

The Mulock Park Project is the town’s most significant capital project and will become one of Newmarket’s largest parks and public gathering spaces, delivering much needed greenspace and amenities to a growing community. Mulock Park is expected to open late this summer with grand festivities for the community to take part in. Stay tuned for an announcement with the opening date.

PLANT Architects Inc. has been working on the Mulock Park project since 2019 when the firm was selected to create the masterplan and guide the work for the transformation of the former private estate into a public hub for culture, recreation and connecting with nature.

In this post, PLANT shares some insight from the Designer's Desk on another key feature - the Hollow Log Play Park.

Areas within the playground represent various parts of a fallen tree that generates new forest growth as it decays.
📷 Steven Evans Photography

Collectively, the playground’s zones represent a fallen tree, nurturing new forest growth as it decays. The tree’s tunnel-like hollow trunk can be climbed from inside or out; sculptures of giant mushrooms spring up where wood would break down and fertilize the soil; a big branch, split open down its centre, invites kids to pump water at one end and watch it flow through the channel and into the ground. (Thanks to Earthscape for beautifully and safely bringing our concept for the Hollow Log Play Park to life.)

Nearby, a stand of trees provides a quiet, shady spot to rest on a bench and cool off after tearing around the playground.

Kids can climb and swing from the ‘nest of branches’ play structure while their caregivers take a seat nearby. 📷Steven Evans Photography