Cover image via Kaohsiung City Councilor Kuo Chien-meng 郭建盟 / Facebook
By Eryk Michael Smith/Staff
KAOHSIUNG — When it opens in the summer of 2026, the Starlight Riverside Park (星光水岸公園) in the Asia New Bay Area (亞灣區) will be the largest water park in southern Taiwan — and Kaohsiung’s first major water park since Blue Lagoon (布魯樂谷) closed in 2010.
The 8,000-ping (about 26,400-square-meter) waterfront site beside the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center (高雄展覽館) is being turned into a sprawling water recreation park featuring giant water slides, splash pools, and water swings. Multiple news sources report that construction is now 92 percent complete, according to the Kaohsiung Public Works Bureau (市府工務局).
Below: The new water park takes shape.
Below: Artist rendition of the new park.
A New Waterfront Playground
The Starlight Riverside Park (星光水岸公園) is part of the city’s ambitious “Asia New Bay Area 2.0 Coastal Greenbelt Revitalization Plan” (亞灣2.0濱海景觀綠帶串聯及再造計畫), a project designed to link Kaohsiung’s portside parks, arts districts, and transit hubs into one continuous, family-friendly waterfront corridor.
The new park will feature three large water slides, shallow splash pools, water swings, and landscaped rest areas shaded by existing trees. Facilities will include changing rooms, restrooms, outdoor showers, and canopy walkways, turning what was once a simple splash zone into a full-scale water playground.
Below: The former “Splash Zone” behind the convention center.
Public Works Director Yang Chin-fu (楊欽富) said the redesigned park connects directly to major infrastructure projects such as the light rail, Port Travel Center (旅運中心), and the upcoming Yellow Line MRT, giving both residents and tourists easy access to the city’s harbor attractions.
“This is more than just a park,” Yang said. “It’s a chance to reconnect Kaohsiung’s people with the water — the element that defines our city.”
Safety and Smiles
City Councilor Kuo Chien-meng (郭建盟), who recently visited the construction site, said the first of three giant slides has already been hoisted into place. “I can already imagine the laughter of Kaohsiung’s children racing down these slides next summer,” he said.
Kuo also noted that he has urged the city to ensure strict standards for anti-slip surfaces, water quality monitoring, and lifeguard coverage before the grand opening.
Below: A side-by-side comparison of the old water splash area and what the new park could look like. Images via Kaohsiung Public Works Bureau (市府工務局).
Kaohsiung’s New Summer Landmark
When completed, Starlight Riverside Park will be free to enter and open to the public, providing a much-needed recreational space in the city’s fast-developing harbor district.
Blue Lagoon (布魯樂谷), located in Qianzhen District (前鎮區), closed its gates in 2010 amid rising maintenance costs and aging infrastructure. After more than a decade without a large-scale water park, Kaohsiung city planners say the Starlight Riverside Park symbolizes more than just a return to the water — it marks Kaohsiung’s evolution into a modern coastal city where industry, leisure, and nature flow together.
