Caras Park Anatomy The Parts that Make the Whole
Caras Park is considered the town square of Downtown Missoula, having served as a gathering place for the community for over 40 years. It sees steady foot traffic year-round, whether it’s community members walking, biking, or running through the space — or surfing alongside it at Brennan’s Wave.
Caras Park is also a rentable venue, hosting keystone events that define Missoula’s community calendar. These include the Winter and Garden City Brewfests, River City Roots Fest, Downtown ToNight, Out to Lunch, and more. Over the years, Caras Park has undergone many developments and continues to evolve through projects like the 2025 Caras Park Canopy Campaign, the Caras Park river access project, and ongoing updates to the Underbridge Playspace.
Caras Park Pavilion
The Caras Park Pavilion is a defining feature of the park, with its recognizable canopy acting as an emblem of the city skyline. When you rent Caras Park for an event, you gain exclusive access to this central pavilion space. The pavilion is equipped with drop-down walls for added privacy, as well as electrical outlets on nearly every post, making it functional, flexible, and event-ready.
Over the years, Caras Park has seen many iterations of this beloved pavilion, from vibrant circus tents in the early days to the iconic structure we know today, built in 1997. Now, after decades of use and thousands of community events, it’s time for a new chapter. The 2025 Caras Park Canopy Campaign is currently underway to replace the existing pavilion canopy, while repainting the pavilion structure, ensuring this space continues to serve Missoula for generations to come.
Bandshell
Located right next to the Pavilion, the bandshell is a smaller covered stage perfect for concerts, community performances, and intimate speaking events. It comes equipped with electrical outlets and a ramp, making it an easy plug-and-play solution for musicians and event organizers alike. When you book Caras, you get access to both the pavilion and bandshell.
Arena Seating
Arena seating surrounds the bandshell stage in Caras Park, fully installed in 2022. It now features shaded awnings for comfortable viewing during sunny summer days and is designed to give audiences the dual experience of watching performances while also enjoying views of the Clark Fork River. It’s the ideal spot to relax, enjoy live music, and feel connected to both the event and the landscape. Want to host your own event at Caras to take advantage of this space? Learn more here.
Riverfront Terrace at Brennan’s Wave
Brennan’s Wave is one of Caras Park’s most iconic features, drawing in surfers and spectators alike. It is one thing to have a park next to a beautiful river — but it is something special to have a wave you can surf as well. Throughout the warmer months of the year, as you stroll through Caras Park, you might get lucky and be able to watch the surfers yourself.
The Caras Park River Access Project was recently completed, with the intention of revitalizing the riverfront area of Caras Park, right next to Brennan’s Wave. This project brought a brand-new ADA ramp, updated seating, and beautifully designed riverbank landscaping. This space is now fully accessible for people of all abilities, providing an inclusive and immersive experience along the river’s edge.
Beartracks Underbridge Playspace
What was once a dim, unused space beneath Beartracks Bridge is now a vibrant underbridge playspace—a creative, welcoming area for people of all ages. The transformation includes art installations by Ann Karp of Sideways Gaze, along with new picnic tables, a basketball hoop, ping pong tables, cornhole boards, and even stylized dumpsters that make waste collection feel like part of the experience.
This space is just the beginning. As part of the 2025 Caras Park Canopy Campaign, future improvements will bring in skating and climbing features, as well as enhanced lighting to make the playground even more inviting day and night.