For most of the year, the building at 6111 S. All-America Way is the center of Kiwanis Park. It holds the heated indoor wave pool with its 3-foot waves, the water slide, seven lap lanes in the deep end and the front desk you go through to reach the tennis courts. In early November that pool closes and stays closed until the day after Christmas.
The weeks it's closed are the park's busiest outdoor stretch of the year. The 13-acre lake gets fish in the water and lanterns on its surface. The loop hosts three races in seven weeks. The north end now has a renovated playground that wasn't there last winter. From now until December 26, the park happens outdoors.
The pool goes dark, on one of two dates
The city's own pool page gives two start dates for the closure. Under both lap swim and Fitness and Fun, it says the pool is closed November 2 through December 26. A few lines down, the closures list says November 10 through December 26. Either way, the lap swim schedule that ran from September through October 31 is over. If you swim on Tuesday or Thursday mornings, call the center at 480-350-5201 before you pack a bag.
The wave sessions ended earlier, and the page says waves return on Saturdays in April. The exception is a short holiday window. The City of Tempe's Kiwanis pool page lists wave pool hours of 1 to 5 p.m., December 27 through 30. So the building reopens the same week the outdoor calendar wraps up with its biggest night.
Meanwhile, the lake gets restocked
Kiwanis Lake is one of the Phoenix-area waters in the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Community Fishing Program, listed as Tempe Community Fishing. The program's stocking calendar, revised September 30, 2026, shows the lake changing fish as the water cools.
| Week of | Kiwanis Lake stocking |
|---|---|
| Sept. 21 | Catfish |
| Oct. 5 | Catfish |
| Oct. 19 | Catfish |
| Nov. 2 | Catfish |
| Nov. 9 through Nov. 30 | None scheduled |
| Dec. 7 | Trout |
| Dec. 28 | Trout |
The week of November 2 is the last catfish week of the fall. After a gap through the rest of November, the lake switches to trout in December, with the second trout week falling over New Year's. The calendar warns at the top that stocking dates aren't guaranteed and can move because of weather, water quality, golden algae or supplier schedules.
On licenses, AZGFD's licensing page says anglers 10 and older need a valid Arizona fishing license on publicly accessible waters. Children under 10 and blind residents are exempt. That's the general rule as the department posts it, so check its page for your own situation before you cast.
Three nights of lanterns, starting Friday
The fish aren't the only thing going into the lake this week. The Water Lantern Festival runs Friday through Sunday, November 6 to 8, at Kiwanis Park. Gates open at 3 p.m. each day, and the lantern launch is scheduled for 6 to 7 p.m. Tempe Tourism's listing puts it at Kiwanis Lake and times the release for sunset.
The official page lists general admission at $29.99 early-bird and $30.99 regular, and both include a lantern kit. VIP is $56.99 and adds access to the VIP tent, drinks and snacks, and a T-shirt. The lake also hosted lanterns in September, when Phoenix Food Fair's Moon Festival held a water lantern release at Kiwanis Park on September 12 and 13. That makes two lantern events on one small lake in one fall.
The ticketed festival takes over the shoreline for three evenings. Anyone counting on a quiet lap around the water that weekend should plan on daylight.
The loop becomes a race course
Once the lanterns are gone, the paths around the lake become the busiest part of the park. Three organized runs are scheduled in seven weeks:
- 14th Annual AZ Veterans Day Run, Saturday, Nov. 14. Distances are 10K, 5K and one mile. Race-day registration opens at 7 a.m., and the starts are staggered at 8, 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. (Race Roster)
- Leftovers 10K/5K Run/Walk, Saturday, Nov. 28. This is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The 10K starts at 9 a.m. and the 5K at 9:15, with the event address listed as 101 E. Baseline Road. (Active)
- 37th Annual Midnight Madness Run, Thursday, Dec. 31. It starts at the park's south entrance. The last 5K of 2026 goes off at 10:30 p.m., there's a sparkling-cider toast at midnight, and the first 5K of 2027 starts at 12:10 a.m. on January 1. (Race Roster)
The Midnight Madness weekend is when both halves of the park come back together. Trout go into the lake the week of December 28, the wave pool's holiday hours run December 27 through 30, and the year ends with runners going out from the south entrance before and after midnight.
The north end looks different this winter
This is the first cool season for the renovated north play area. On September 23, the city held a free Arts in the Parks celebration at 5233 S. Ash Ave. to reopen it, with a ribbon cutting, live music from Haley Green Band and Lunes, and food trucks Sho Lov, Habanero's Tacos and Pedaling Paletas.
According to the City of Tempe, the upgrades include a fully renovated and expanded playground with all-new equipment on accessible rubber surfacing, a new large group ramada, new shade structures, more trees, irrigation upgrades, improved accessible parking and ramps, and a new restroom and concession building. The play area's centerpiece is a climbable public art sculpture by artist Bobby Zokaites called "Intersection Rock." He told the Tempe Tribune where the shape comes from:
"It's sort of based off the same sort of envelopness that you would experience if you went to Hole-in-the-Rock at Papago."
Zokaites also told the Tribune that the company that poured the rubberized floor and the architect who laid out the playground are both Tempe companies. The paper reported that the new restroom and concession building, which serves the boat rentals, hadn't opened yet on reopening night, and that a city deputy director said it would open soon. The same story notes that the north side of the park added a dog park in September 2024.
The rest of the park's outdoor facilities stay open through the pool closure. Boat Rentals of America runs pedal boats and kayaks on Kiwanis Lake from 5203 S. Ash Ave. The Kiwanis Park Batting Range has 10 lighted cages at 6005 S. All America Way, and tokens are $1.25 a game. The Kiwanis Tennis Center is pay-for-use, and you get onto the courts through the recreation center. Seasonal hours change, so check before you go.
What's next, southwest of the lake
The playground is part of a bigger plan. The Tribune reported that the north-end work belongs to the city's Capital Improvement Plan, which reinvests $60 million in Tempe parks over several five-year periods under a program called Refresh Tempe.
The next project at Kiwanis is a Dementia and Age-Friendly Park. The city places it off All-America Way, southwest of Kiwanis Lake, and hasn't published a construction or opening date. Community Services Deputy Director Alex Jovanovic told the Tribune it is still "very, very conceptual." The plan is to reuse the former Dick and Jane Neuheisel Tempe Sister City Garden. The city's October 26 community newsletter still describes the project as plans, with no groundbreaking announced.
Until that work starts, the calendar is set. Lanterns float on November 6 through 8. Runners take the loop on November 14 and November 28. Trout arrive the week of December 7. The wave pool reopens December 27, and Midnight Madness sends runners out from the south entrance on New Year's Eve.
If you own a home near Kiwanis Park and you're thinking about selling while the park's outdoor season is running, we can help. The Modern Desert Group can put together a strategic listing plan that fits these winter weeks, or make an immediate cash offer if speed matters more than timing. Make a bold move and ask us about either one.
