Long Beach will host a summer park celebration this weekend to mark a portion of Marina Vista Park reopening.

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, in collaboration with the Third District Council Office, is hosting the event at the park, which has been closed to support the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project, according to a press release. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at Colorado Street and Marina Drive.

“The Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project has been many years in the making,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement, “and we are excited to commemorate this milestone on the path to the project’s completion later this year with the reopening of Marina Vista Park.”

The event will have recreational games, a bounce house, face painting, information booths and free snacks – while supplies last. Community members can experience the improved area firsthand and commemorate the return of this popular waterfront park space, officials said.

“We’re excited to welcome the community back to this section of Marina Vista Park,” Third District Councilmember Kristina Duggan said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing our community on the 15th as we celebrate this moment.”

This event marks an important milestone in the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project, officials said, a key component of the city’s ongoing efforts to restore natural habitat, improve water quality and enhance public spaces.

A portion of Marina Vista Park was closed to the public during the excavation and construction of the open channel. The park played an important role by providing suitable fill material for placement in the lagoon to support new habitat creation, while also receiving fill material generated by the open channel excavation, the press release said.

As part of this effort, this portion of the park was reconfigured and enhanced to improve usability, including releveled fields with new irrigation systems and new amenities, including dugouts, field backdrops and outdoor fitness equipment, the press release said.

More information about the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project is available on the project webpage at longbeach.gov/coloradolagoonproject.