Riverside Park runs along the south bank of the South Thompson River for about a kilometre west of downtown. It is the city's most-used outdoor space — a wide grass strip with mature shade trees, a sandy swimming beach, an outdoor stage, a small bandstand, walking paths and a playground. In summer it fills with picnicking families, dog-walkers and the audience for the free Music in the Park concert series, which runs nightly through July and August.
The park is the natural starting point for the Rivers Trail, a 40-km pedestrian and cycling path that loops around both rivers and connects most of the city's parks. The point where the North Thompson joins the South Thompson — just east of the park — is the source of the city's name (from the Secwepemctsín word Tk'emlúps, "meeting of the waters").