Gastonia, NC Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Under City Code Sec. 7-51(a), a park or greenway is only open to the general public during its stated hours of operation, defaulting to dusk-to-dawn closure. One of the three ways to lawfully be in a park or greenway outside standard hours is obtaining prior written permission for that use from the director of parks and recreation; the other paths are a site-specific posted exception or participation in a city-sponsored program. Beyond hours, subsection (b) gives the director standalone authority to declare any section of a park closed to the public at any time and for any interval, at the director's discretion, including for reasons of public safety, health, conduct, or order, which means an approved reservation or event permission can be withdrawn if the director determines it is in the public interest.

This structure functions as the city's park facility use permission system: anyone planning a gathering, event, or extended use of a Gastonia park or greenway outside default public hours needs the director's written sign-off before proceeding, obtained through the parks and recreation department rather than through a self-serve reservation. The rule sits within Article IV of Chapter 7, which governs city parks and greenways generally, alongside companion sections on animals, wheeled vehicles, wildlife, weapons, and open fires in the same facilities.