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Hopefully, you’re no stranger to Railroad Park: our beautiful, 19-acre greenspace downtown known as “Birmingham’s Front Lawn.” On any given day, you can see people walking their dogs, group yoga, birthday party picnics or even weddings—often happening all at once in a lively celebration of our community spirit.

If you haven’t visited in a minute, or are just looking for a fun activity, we’ve got a suggestion: The Railroad Park Foundation is putting on a free series called Magic City Pop-Up Plaza. These events are happening on select Fridays now through October, with the next one coming up on Friday, May 29.

Keep reading for all you need to know, and we’ll see you at the park!

Birmingham’s pop-up plaza celebrates local makers

Introduced in 2023, Magic City Pop-Up Plaza is one of the many ways Railroad Park celebrates community.

Dozens of vendors—from food, jewelry and homemade soaps—line the 17th Street Plaza on select Fridays and connect with locals who either come for the event or just happen to pass the party while on their usual park outing.

Our team went to the April event to see what it was all about, and it was so much fun! We sifted through locally-made jewelry, tried some homemade cookies from Drury Lane Bakery and even got our faces painted.

Good news: April was only the first Pop-Up Plaza out of seven throughout the rest of the year. Our calendar is already marked for the next one.

Know before you go: Magic City Pop-Up Plaza

When: 4-7PM on select Fridays now through October
- May 29
- June 26
- July 24
- August 28
- September 25
- October 23
Where: Railroad Park 17th street plaza, right in front of the Red Cat Coffee House
How much: FREE to attend

Some local vendors you may see:

AfroLit Alcove
Amber’s Desserts
The Beyond Tikka
Big N Bad
Drury Lane Bakery LLC
Michael’s Restaurant @ The Boxcar
Sons Donuts + Pops
SUBS N GRUB

Railroad Park was made for you!

Based on how beautiful and busy it is now, it’s hard to imagine downtown Birmingham before Railroad Park existed.

About 15 years ago, the park was born as a joint effort between the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation and was created with Birmingham residents in mind.

Now, it boasts more than 600 trees, native plants, recycled objects, including hand-cast bricks and original cobblestone, a beautiful lake and ponds. It’s dubbed as “Birmingham’s Front Lawn” for a reason—it’s picturesque, innovative and completely local.

Magic City Pop-Up Plaza is just one example of why this park is important to Birmingham: Because it’s made for us!

Mark your calendar for each Magic City Pop-Up Plaza now through October—see you at the next one on Friday, May 29? Keep up with the Railroad Park Foundation and all it does for Birmingham.

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