From mid-May through late September, getting into Bullhead City's Community Park starts at a pay booth on Laughlin Ranch Boulevard. City residents show a license and drive through free. Visitors from outside the city pay $25 per vehicle. The permit is card only, good for one entry on the date you buy it, and if you leave and come back you buy another one. When the fees started on May 9 this year, the Mohave Daily News reported that residents only needed a valid driver's license at the booth.
Those daily fees ended in late September. In its October post on the Belle's fall lineup, the City of Bullhead City says it plainly:
"Parking at Community Park is free throughout the fall and winter season."
That's from the city's Bullhead Belle fall and winter feature. In winter the same park runs as an open calendar, and nearly every item on it points to one building. The Bullhead Belle is the city-owned riverboat replica dry-docked on the shoreline, and according to its own site, all of its profits go back into Community Park.
The building at the center of the park
The Belle also handles part of the park's operations. Neighbors in Fort Mohave, Mohave Valley, Laughlin and Needles can't get in free in summer, but they can buy a $35 annual pass. They verify residency at the pay booth, get a temporary pass, and take it to the Belle, where staff issue the official photo-ID permit. The Belle also offers a resident discount with valid photo ID.
So the city already uses the Belle as the park's front desk. In winter it also sets the park's schedule. Fall and winter hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with Fridays running until 8 p.m. It sits at 1251 Highway 95 inside the park, with indoor and outdoor seating facing the Colorado River and sunsets over the Black Mountains.
This season's menu adds hoagies, quesadillas and three loaded fries. The fries are the Arizona Nacho Cheese Fries with bacon, jalapeños and chipotle ranch, the Fire-Pit Nacho Pork Fries with pulled pork and chopped onions, and the Riverbank Buffalo Chicken Fries. The new hoagies are the Colorado River Italian, Roast Beef & Bacon, Tuna, BBQ Pulled Pork and Grilled Chicken. The quesadillas come in chicken or crispy pork carnitas. There's also a full bar with domestic and imported beer, wine and mixed cocktails.
The weekly rhythm
With free parking, a stop at the park costs nothing to try, and the Belle gives every day of the week a reason to come:
- Every day: lunch and the river view, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday nights: free open mic karaoke from 5 to 8 p.m. every Friday through December, with no cover.
- Saturdays and Sundays: free live music, usually 1 to 5 p.m.
- Occasional weeknights: ticketed classes, such as the Fall Paint & Sip on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Registration is $40 and includes a beverage.
The Belle team also runs events off-site. A Holiday Doormat Class on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is booked through the same Belle registration page but held at Chaparral Golf Course & Restaurant, 1260 Mohave Drive, also $40 with a beverage.
The weekend and holiday lineup for the rest of November and December, as posted on BullheadBelle.com:
| Date | On the Belle | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Satin Steel | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Tristate | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Max Say Shun | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Dry Heat | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Kid & Nic | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Max Say Shun | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Satin Steel | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Kristy Thompson | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Light Up the Belle | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Tyler Halsey & the Rivertown Bandits | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Christmas on the Colorado Boat Parade | 6 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Tyler Halsey & the Rivertown Bandits | 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 27 | Max Say Shun | 1 to 5 p.m. |
The city says the lineup changes over the season, so check BullheadBelle.com before you go.
Saturday, Nov. 14: the market and the band overlap
Satin Steel is the only act on the November list with a late-morning start, 11 a.m. instead of 1 p.m. That Saturday is also the Bullhead City Farmers Market's Homegrown Holiday market at Community Park, which runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. That puts two hours of live music from the Belle's deck in the middle of market hours.
The season opened Oct. 3 with more than 80 vendors, food trucks and live music from Tyler Halsey. Clayton Homes and Arrowhead Credit Union present the market. According to the city's farmers market post, admission and parking are free at every market.
Nov. 14 is the last market of the year. The series takes December off and returns with these dates:
- Jan. 9: New Year, Fresh Start, held indoors at the Optimum Community Center, not at the park
- Feb. 6: XOXO
- March 6: Some Bunny Luvs You!
- April 3: Spring Garden, the season finale
After Nov. 14, the next farmers market in Community Park is Feb. 6. For December, the park's calendar belongs entirely to the Belle.
December's two nights on the river
The Belle's December lineup hands the park over to two evening events.
Light Up the Belle is Monday, Dec. 7, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The city describes thousands of lights turning the riverboat into a glowing landmark on the Colorado. The lights stay up through the holiday season, so they're still lit when the Belle takes holiday parties and private events afterward.
Christmas on the Colorado, the Lighted Boat Parade, is Saturday, Dec. 19. The city's event listing puts it at Community Park at 6 p.m. and says you can watch from the riverfront or from aboard the Belle. The city also notes that the decorated boats cruise right past the Belle, which will already be lit from Dec. 7.
The Belle is also an official Arizona Passport 250 stop in the statewide celebration of Arizona's 250th anniversary. If you're collecting stamps, either December night is a chance to pick one up.
What the city is building next to the Belle
The park is under construction too. The city's weekly project updates, published by The Bee, show work continuing around the Belle:
- New restrooms: T.R. Orr, Inc. is building new Community Park restrooms for the city just south of the Bullhead Belle, according to The Bee's Oct. 27 update and its Oct. 30 update.
- Splash Pad: as of the Oct. 30 update, the Community Park Splash Pad was temporarily closed so its water features could be repainted under warranty.
The Belle's profits are reinvested in Community Park, the same park where these projects are underway. The restrooms are going up just steps from the deck where the karaoke and Sunday bands play, along the riverfront where the city says parade viewers can watch on Dec. 19.
If you're hosting family from Fort Mohave, Laughlin or farther away this winter, the timing works in your favor. In summer, a guest driving their own car pays $25 at the booth. The city's fall and winter feature says parking is free this season, which makes it easy to catch a Sunday set, try the loaded fries and see the lights. The city's parking fee page also lists fees "on holiday weekends," so check it before a holiday-weekend visit.
Bullhead City's best winter days happen along the riverfront, and our team spends a lot of time keeping up with what's changing there. If friends or family are thinking about a place near Community Park, or you want to talk about how winter on the river fits into your own plans, Lisa Turner is glad to help. Contact Our Lake Havasu Real Estate Experts.
