Lighting up our parks in winter

The Winter Night Lights initiative is designed to encourage residents to continue being physically active during the winter months when the sun sets earlier.

By extending the lighting period at key reserves, residents can exercise at a time that suits their lifestyle, while feeling safer and more connected in shared public spaces.

Winter Night Lights is back this year

Following the success of the trial in 2024, Winter Night Lights is returning with extended lighting hours at four sporting reserves this winter.

From May to September 2025, training lights will be turned on from 5:30pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday, at the following reserves:

  • Forster Park
  • Peet Park
  • Centenary Park
  • Redcliffe Park

During formal sports training sessions, please use areas that are not in use by our local sporting clubs.

2024 Winter Night Lights trial

We conducted a lighting trial between May and September 2024 to assess the impact, community response and feasibility of the initiative on a longer-term basis.

Training lights were turned on from 5:30pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday at Forster Park, Peet Park, Miles Park, Centenary Park and Redcliffe Park. A series of free community fitness sessions were held at select sporting reserves to encourage residents to get active during the trial period.

What we found

We used Active Xchange movement data, CCTV head counts, and community consultation to evaluate the success of the lighting trial.

Movement heat maps and CCTV head counts were used to track the level of activity at each reserve during the trial. This data was then compared to the same time period in 2023 to see if there was any impact on reserve use.

Both data sets showed a notable increase in people using the reserves when compared to the same period in 2023.

What the community had to say

We invited surrounding residents, park users and the broader community to submit their feedback on the trial during September and October 2024.

The consultation received 149 surveys and 53 map contributions, plus 438 unique visitors to the Belmont Connect project page.

The responses showed a high level of community support and corresponded with the user data collected for the trial period.

Click here to read the full Winter Night Lights Evaluation and Engagement Report.