Pictured: The 2022 Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest winner. Photo shows the tribal dedication of the Ocotillo Ramada at Phoenix's Piestewa Peak. Photo courtesy of City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation.
Since 1985, people in the United States have celebrated Park and Recreation Month in July to promote building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation and to recognize the more than 160,000 full-time park and recreation professionals — along with hundreds of thousands of part-time and seasonal workers and volunteers — that maintain our country’s local, state and community parks.
We are proud to announce the 2023 Park and Recreation Month theme, as voted by NRPA members: “Where Community Grows.” This July, we will celebrate the vital role park and recreation professionals play in bringing people together, providing essential services and fostering the growth of our communities.
As park and recreation professionals, you make a positive impact on the lives of your community members every single day. Let’s come together this year and show the world just how much parks and recreation means to our communities.
The promotional toolkit, graphics and resources for Park and Recreation Month will be released in early March. In the meantime, check out this year's proclamation template below so you can encourage your community and local leadership to officially acknowledge Park and Recreation Month this July. And, make sure you save the date for Park and Recreation Professionals Day on July 21, 2023!