A 10-acre park in downtown Lexington will have free Wi-Fi service when it opens next year.

Kinetic, a fiber optic internet company, will install and maintain Wi-Fi modems and routers in the park to provide free internet for the next ten years, at a cost of about $1 million over that period.

The park, Gatton Park at Town Branch, opened last year. It will be located adjacent to the Central Bank Center and Rupp Arena between Main and High Streets and the Oliver Lewis Way bridge.

The park will include a 4,500-seat amphitheater, playground, water features, dog park, gardens, public art, cafe and portions of the Town Branch walking trail. The park is funded by over $52 million in private donations, including $14 million from the Bill Gatton Foundation.

Gatton, a graduate of the University of Kentucky, made substantial donations to UK and other organizations in Lexington, including the YMCA of Central Kentucky. Gatton died in 2022.

Alison Lankford, managing director of Gatton Park, said free Wi-Fi would make the park a park of the next century.

“Free Wi-Fi access is something that people now expect as a standard in their lives, no matter where they are – and that will soon be the case in Gatton Park,” Lankford said. “This infrastructure will help people connect and share experiences, whether it’s schoolchildren learning about ecology, or festival or concert-goers enjoying performing arts and other cultural experiences.”

Barry Bishop, senior vice president of Kinetic Operations, said the Wi-Fi will support the park’s programming.

“In addition to Wi-Fi, park visitors can use their mobile phone or tablet to learn about the park’s facilities, programs and ecology, or get directions to playgrounds, bike racks or interactive water features,” Bishop said. “Park visitors can find the quickest route through the park or sit down and use their Wi-Fi-enabled devices.”

Gatton Park is scheduled to open in summer 2025.