Harewood skatepark

The Harewood Skatepark, located at 740 Howard Avenue within Harewood Centennial Park in Nanaimo, British Columbia, is a 12,500-square-foot facility that serves as a premier destination for the Vancouver Island action sports community. This project was designed and built by New Line Skateparks in 2020 (following an extensive multi-year community planning phase). The park was developed to serve as a cornerstone of the Harewood neighborhood's revitalization, providing a world-class environment for skateboarders, BMX riders, and scooter users.

The design is a high-performance "multi-terrain" complex that balances a dense street plaza with transition features. The centerpiece of the transition zone is an authentic, true-to-form pool-style bowl, complete with pool coping and a classic "deathbox" feature, making it one of the only traditional concrete pools on the Island. This is complemented by a sprawling street plaza that flows around the perimeter, equipped with a comprehensive array of obstacles including flat bars, "slappy" ledges, diverse stair sets, manual pads, and various bank-to-ledge configurations.

A defining feature of the Harewood Skatepark is its deep integration of Coast Salish culture through functional public art.Snuneymuxw artist Joel Good, renowned for his carving and graphic illustration, collaborated with interdisciplinary artist Bracken Hanuse Corlett of the Wuikinuxv and Klahoose Nations to design site-specific artwork. These vibrant designs were painted directly onto the freshly cured concrete surfaces, transforming the skatepark into a cultural landmark that honors the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw People.

The park is integrated into the larger Harewood Centennial Park master plan, which includes a destination playground, a water park, and synthetic sports fields. Today, Harewood is celebrated not just for its technical variety, but as a model for how modern recreation spaces can meaningfully incorporate Indigenous art and community identity.