Marvin Efird Park Hours, Barn Rental and Events

Is Marvin Efird Park free? Yes, Marvin Efird Park is free to enter and free to park at, and it is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through October, according to Steve Jarrell, team lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, based on the Village of Marvin park page read October 16, 2026.

You’ve got a Saturday, a birthday party or a Halloween night to plan, and Marvin Efird Park is on the list. The park sits at 8909 New Town Road, and its barn rents for $40 an hour on weekends if you live in Marvin and $80 if you don’t, with a 3-hour minimum, per the Village of Marvin park page and the fee schedule the Village adopted on May 4, 2026.

This guide walks you through what’s at the park, the hours for every month, what the barn and picnic shelter cost and what the rental agreement asks of you, the rules that catch people out, the fall event calendar, the trails, the new Houston Ross Park at Village Hall, and why your phone insists the park is in Waxhaw.

16 min read | Living in South Charlotte

What This Story Covers

• Marvin Efird Park in one minute
• What is at Marvin Efird Park?
• Marvin Efird Park hours, month by month
• Renting the barn or the picnic shelter
• Park rules: dogs, drones and photographers
• Trick or Treat in the Park and the fall calendar
• The trails, and where the Marvin Loop fits
• Houston Ross Park, the new park at Village Hall
• Why does your map say Waxhaw?
• Frequently asked questions

Marvin Efird Park in one minute

Marvin Efird Park is the Village of Marvin’s own park, 27 acres off New Town Road in Union County, and you don’t pay anything to use it. The Village opened it on May 5, 2012, and its Who We Are page describes it as a playground, a barn shelter, a mile of meandering trails and a community garden.

Marvin is a village of 7,161 people, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management certified estimate for July 1, 2025, so this is a neighborhood-scale park rather than a regional complex. The Village’s amenity list has no ball fields, pool or splash pad. What you will find is a quiet loop of trails, room to run, a short disc golf course and the barn, which you can rent by the hour.

The table below puts the numbers you’re most likely to need in one place, with the Village document behind each one named in the last column.

Marvin Efird Park at a glance: hours, fees and rental terms from the Village of Marvin, read October 16, 2026

Marvin Efird Park at a glance: hours, fees and rental terms from the Village of Marvin, read October 16, 2026

Measure	Detail	Source document
Entry and parking	Free to the public	Park page
October hours	8 a.m. to 7 p.m.	Park page, general regulations
November to January	8 a.m. to 5 p.m.	Park page, general regulations
February to March	8 a.m. to 6 p.m.	Park page, general regulations
April to September	8 a.m. to 8 p.m.	Park page, general regulations
Closed	Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 31, Jan 1	Park page
Barn, Monday to Thursday	$25 resident, $50 nonresident, per hour	Fee schedule, May 4, 2026
Barn, Friday to Sunday	$40 resident, $80 nonresident, per hour	Fee schedule, May 4, 2026
Picnic shelter, Monday to Thursday	$15 resident, $30 nonresident, per hour	Fee schedule, May 4, 2026
Picnic shelter, Friday to Sunday	$20 resident, $40 nonresident, per hour	Fee schedule, May 4, 2026
Security deposit	$400 barn, $300 shelter	Fee schedule, rental agreement
Professional access pass	$50 a day, $250 a year	Park page, fee schedule
Community garden plot	$30 a year	Park page

Here’s how I’d use this table. If you’re coming to walk, play or throw a disc, the only line you need is the hours row for the month you’re in, because nothing else costs you a cent. If you’re planning a party, read the barn rows next to the deposit row, then read the rental agreement before you book, since that’s where the rules about tape, alcohol and parking live. That’s the order I’d read them in, and I’d check the fee schedule again right before you book, because the Village says its rates can change.

What is at Marvin Efird Park?

Marvin Efird Park has playgrounds for toddlers and for older children, a 9-hole disc golf short course, restrooms, picnic areas, meadow and groomed natural walking trails, a 32-bed community garden, and two rentable structures, the barn and the picnic shelter. The Village lists all of it on its park page.

The playgrounds are split by age, which matters more than it sounds if you’ve got a toddler and an older child in the same trip. The barn’s patio faces the play area, according to the Village’s facility rentals page, so a party in the barn can keep an eye on the equipment without anyone leaving the table.

The disc golf course is an Ace Place 9-hole short course, and the Village says the par for every hole is three. That makes it a good first course if you’ve never thrown before: short holes, no long walks between baskets, and a round that doesn’t eat your afternoon. The Village links a course layout on UDisc from its park page if you want to see where the baskets sit before you go.

The community garden holds 32 raised beds, each 9 feet by 3 feet and 11 inches deep. A nonprofit called Habitat Builders now manages it, and a plot costs $30 a year. Renewal runs in January and February, there’s a limit of two plots per household during registration, and the Village says extra plots may be rented after the registration period closes. Payment goes by check to Habitat Builders at 516 Wyndham Lane in Marvin, with the application linked from the park page.

Marvin Efird Park hours, month by month

Marvin Efird Park opens at 8 a.m. every day of the year it’s open, and closing time moves with the season: 7 p.m. in October, 5 p.m. from November through January, 6 p.m. in February and March, and 8 p.m. from April through September. The Village’s general regulations print the same hours.

The change you’re most likely to trip over is the one coming up. On November 1 the closing time drops two hours, from 7 to 5, so an after-work walk that fits in late October won’t fit the following week. If you’ve got a party or a photo session planned for early November, build it around a 5 p.m. close. The rental agreement says rentals may only take place during operating hours, so a barn booking can’t run past closing either.

The park is closed four days a year: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Every other day it’s open, weekends included, unless the Village posts otherwise.

Two notes if you’re coming for a specific reason. The Village Hall office, which is where you’d sort out a rental in person, keeps shorter hours than the park: Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Friday, per the Village website footer. And the Parks and Recreation line is 704-843-1680, press 6, if you need to check something the pages don’t answer.

Renting the barn or the picnic shelter

You can rent the barn at Marvin Efird Park for $25 an hour Monday to Thursday or $40 an hour Friday to Sunday if you live in Marvin, and $50 or $80 if you don’t, with a $400 security deposit either way, under the fee schedule the Village adopted on May 4, 2026. The picnic shelter runs $15 and $20 an hour for residents, $30 and $40 for nonresidents, with a $300 deposit.

Here’s what those rates look like for a typical party. The barn and shelter rental agreement sets a 3-hour minimum on Friday through Sunday and legal holidays. So a 3-hour Saturday party in the barn costs a Marvin resident $120 and a nonresident $240, plus the deposit. The same three hours under the picnic shelter costs $60 or $120. Tables are $5 each and folding chairs $2 each if you’d rather not haul your own.

What you’re renting is worth knowing before you book. The barn is a 30 by 60 foot purpose-built structure with a patio facing the playground, open air, with power outlets and no heating or air conditioning. It holds up to 100 people. The picnic shelter is 25 by 25 feet, holds up to 75, carries four picnic tables and has no power outlets at all. If your party needs a speaker or a slow cooker, that’s the barn. The occupancy figures count everyone, children, vendors and staff included.

The rental agreement carries the rules that cost people their deposit, so read it before you sign. The ones that matter most:

• You must be at least 25 to rent.
• The deposit and all fees are due at least two weeks before the event, and the booking isn’t final until the deposit is paid and the agreement is complete.
• Decorations go up with thumbtacks only. No tape.
• No alcohol without additional forms and possible permits from ABC.
• If you’re playing music, the side and rear barn doors stay closed.
• Parking is in the gravel lots only: the front lot on the left as you enter, and the rear lot past the barn. No parking on the grass, along the main driveway or stacked in front of the barn.
• No refunds for weather.
• Deposits come back by check, up to 20 days after the event, once the space passes inspection.

One line in the agreement surprises people: your rental covers the barn and nothing else. The playground, restrooms, picnic tables, fields and trails stay open to everyone else in the park, so plan on sharing the play area on a busy Saturday. The agreement also notes that the barn is sometimes rented several days running by different groups, and it suggests you photograph anything left messy when you arrive and tell the Village.

For a bigger event, the rules change. A community organization based in Marvin can sponsor an event of more than 100 guests with a Temporary Use Permit, filed 60 days ahead with a $75 fee. Attendance is then capped at 300, parking at 100 cars with a ticket system, and the barn is billed at the nonresident rate to cover staff time.

The detail I’d circle on that agreement is the two-week deadline. A barn booking isn’t final until the deposit is paid and the agreement is complete, and it’s easy to assume a phone call holds the date. If you’ve got a date in mind for a fall or holiday party, I’d send the paperwork early. And if you’re comparing the barn with a party room somewhere else, three hours on a Saturday for $120 as a Marvin resident is a number worth having in hand when you make that call.

Park rules: dogs, drones and photographers

Dogs are welcome at Marvin Efird Park on a leash, and you’re expected to pick up after them, under the Village’s general regulations. The Village’s amenity list doesn’t include a fenced dog area, so plan on keeping your dog leashed everywhere in the park.

The rest of the regulations are short, and a few of them catch visitors off guard:

• No skateboards or similar wheeled equipment on park property.
• Children under 12 must be with an adult at all times.
• No smoking anywhere on park property.
• No alcohol, except where ABC permits and a Village Temporary Use Permit are in place.
• No open fires outside a built fireplace or grill.
• No swimming, wading, boating or fishing.
• No drones or model aircraft on any Village owned property, under ordinance OR-2016-12-02.

Photographers need to know the drone rule, and they have a rule of their own too. Access and parking are free to the public, but anyone using the park for business (the Village names photographers specifically) needs a professional access pass: $50 for a single day or $250 for a year. You apply through Parks and Recreation and can pay in person by cash or check, or online by card. If you’re booking a fall photo session here, it’s fair to ask your photographer whether the pass is covered.

Trick or Treat in the Park and the fall calendar

Trick or Treat in the Park is on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Marvin Efird Park, according to the Village’s community events page. The Village’s description: “Put on your best costume and come collect candy from some great local businesses! We will have a food truck, face painting, crafts, music and a bounce house!” Candy runs while supplies last, so earlier in the window is safer than later. The event runs an hour past the park’s usual 7 p.m. October close, so go by the event’s own hours that night.

Here’s what else the Village has on the park calendar through December, with every date as the Village posts it:

• Trick or Treat in the Park, Friday, October 23, 2026, 5 to 8 p.m., Marvin Efird Park.
• Arbor Day, Saturday, October 24, 2026, 10 a.m. to noon, Marvin Efird Park. The Village lists more information as coming soon.
• Tree Lighting, Saturday, December 5, 2026, Marvin Efird Park. The time hasn’t been posted yet.

Outside the fall, the park page names Moonlight Movies in the Park, National Night Out and the Holiday Tree Lighting as the park’s annual events. If you’re also eyeing the neighboring towns that same week, our South Charlotte fall events guide carries confirmed dates for Waxhaw, Weddington, Matthews and the rest of the area.

Ready to book the barn or the shelter? Call Marvin Parks and Recreation at 704-843-1680, press 6, download the rental agreement from the facility rentals page, and get the deposit and full fee in at least two weeks before your date.

The trails, and where the Marvin Loop fits

Marvin Efird Park has its own trail, the Marvin Efird Park Trail, with parking at the park, and the Village describes about a mile of meandering trails across the property. It’s one piece of a wider network the Village lists on its trails and greenways page, and if you want a longer walk, it helps to know where the others start.

The Village’s trails page names these, with public parking:

• Marvin Loop, the Village’s asphalt greenway, reached from the Village Hall lot at 10006 Marvin School Road.
• Town Hall Trail and the Preserve Internal Trail, which start from that same lot. The Village’s trails page calls the Preserve Internal Trail its longest natural surface trail: start at the far end of the Village Hall parking lot, head toward Golden Bell Drive, turn right just before you reach it, and follow it to White Dogwood Lane.
• Marvin Efird Park Trail, from the park’s own lots.
• Publix Pocket Park Trail, from the lot beside the Publix at New Town Road and Providence Road.

Two more, the Amber Meadows Trail and the Tullamore Trail, have no public parking and are reached only by sidewalk. Motor vehicles are banned on every Village trail and greenway by ordinance.

The Village says it’s developing a villagewide trail system that includes a 4-mile paved trail along Marvin School, New Town, Marvin and Joe Kerr roads. The trails page map shows completed trails in green and conceptual ones in yellow, and the Village notes that some of the yellow ones are funded while others are only concepts with easements still to acquire. So if a map shows a trail near you, check its color before you lace up.

For comparison, if you want parks with more built trail, our Waxhaw things to do guide and our Weddington guide to Hunter Farm and its parks cover the larger parks a short drive away.

Houston Ross Park, the new park at Village Hall

Houston Ross Park sits on the grounds of Marvin Village Hall at 10006 Marvin School Road, at the corner of New Town Road, and the Village set its ribbon cutting for Saturday, September 26, 2026. The Village described that Saturday’s ribbon cutting as “a ribbon cutting ceremony honoring the history of the Houston Ross family,” in its news notice.

What you can rent there is already on the books. The fee schedule lists “Houston Ross Park/Event Lawn” among the Village Hall facilities, at $50 an hour for residents and $100 for nonresidents, with a $300 deposit. That makes it the option if you want an open lawn rather than a covered structure, and it sits next to the trailheads for the Marvin Loop and the Preserve Internal Trail.

The park is also getting a water feature built with donated labor. Pondscapes of Charlotte, the contractor, describes a 5,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system feeding a natural waterfall, a stream and an ecosystem pond, with construction starting July 27, 2026. The company says it is donating 100 percent of the construction labor and will service the pond monthly at no cost to the Village. Those details are the contractor’s own.

The Village’s 2023 Village Hall Park master plan and amphitheater concept drawing, linked from its Parks and Recreation page, showed a multipurpose lawn, rain gardens, covered seating, an amphitheater and a greenway connection. Treat that drawing as the plan, not a list of what’s there today. The Village’s Parks, Recreation and Greenways Board put a “Discussion of Future Improvements to Houston Ross Park” on its September 1, 2026 agenda, so watch for additions. Our guide to new South Charlotte parks tracks this one alongside the other openings in the area.

Why does your map say Waxhaw?

Your map says Waxhaw because Marvin Efird Park’s mailing address is “8909 New Town Rd, Waxhaw, NC 28173,” which is how Google lists it, while the park itself sits inside the Village of Marvin’s limits. The U.S. Census Bureau geocoder places that address in Marvin village, Union County, and it does the same for Village Hall at 10006 Marvin School Road.

The reason is the ZIP code. Every bit of Marvin’s land area falls inside ZIP 28173, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020 ZIP-to-place relationship file, and 28173 carries the Waxhaw mailing name. Yet Marvin makes up only 5.6 percent of that ZIP’s land. The Town of Waxhaw is 11.4 percent of it, and 68.4 percent sits in no town at all. So a 28173 address tells you almost nothing about which town you’re standing in.

That’s why people type “efird park waxhaw” into a search bar, and why a list of “parks in Marvin NC” fills up with places that aren’t Marvin’s. For anything the Village runs, from rentals to event changes to the rules above, the Village of Marvin is the one to call, not the Town of Waxhaw. If you’re curious what else that ZIP split means in Marvin, our Inside Marvin NC guide covers the village itself.

Frequently Asked Questions About Marvin Efird Park

Is Marvin Efird Park free?

Yes, Marvin Efird Park is free to enter and free to park at, and it is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through October, according to Steve Jarrell, team lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, based on the Village of Marvin park page read October 16, 2026. If you are using the park for business, such as a paid photo session, you need a professional access pass at $50 a day or $250 a year.

What are the Marvin Efird Park hours?

The park opens at 8 a.m. daily and closes at 7 p.m. in October, 5 p.m. from November through January, 6 p.m. in February and March, and 8 p.m. from April through September. It is closed on December 24, December 25, December 31 and January 1, according to the Village of Marvin.

How much does it cost to rent the barn at Marvin Efird Park?

Under the Village of Marvin fee schedule adopted May 4, 2026, if you live in Marvin the barn costs $25 an hour Monday to Thursday and $40 an hour Friday to Sunday. If you do not live in Marvin, the rates are $50 and $80. A $400 refundable deposit applies, and the rental agreement sets a 3-hour minimum on Friday through Sunday and legal holidays.

Are dogs allowed at Marvin Efird Park?

Yes, on a leash. The Village of Marvin general regulations require you to keep pets leashed and to pick up and dispose of pet waste. The Village amenity list for the park does not include a fenced dog area.

When is Trick or Treat in the Park in Marvin?

Trick or Treat in the Park is on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Marvin Efird Park, 8909 New Town Road, according to the Village of Marvin community events page. The Village lists a food truck, face painting, crafts, music and a bounce house, with candy while supplies last.

Is Marvin Efird Park in Marvin or Waxhaw?

It is in Marvin. The park carries a Waxhaw, NC 28173 mailing address, but the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder places 8909 New Town Road inside the Village of Marvin, and the Village of Marvin runs the park, so the Village is who you call about it.

About the Author

Steve Jarrell is a licensed North Carolina and South Carolina broker and the team lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, which he co-leads with his wife Amanda. Before real estate, Steve joined VisualTour as President, led its rebrand to Paradym, and led the company to its acquisition by Constellation Software in 2020. He holds an MBA from the University of Tennessee with concentrations in Marketing and Innovation. The Longleaf Group is an eXp ICON Team and a RealTrends Verified Top Team by Volume for 2026, with 170+ five-star reviews.

Steve lives in neighboring Weddington and works across Marvin and the towns around it every week. If you have a question about Marvin or its parks, you can reach him at 704-774-7170.

How we sourced this

Every figure in this guide comes from a Village of Marvin page or document, a federal or state dataset, or a named contractor, each opened on October 16, 2026. Park amenities, opening date, hours, garden terms and the professional pass come from the Marvin Efird Park page and the general regulations. Rental rates and deposits come from the fee schedule adopted May 4, 2026, and rental terms from the barn and shelter rental agreement and the facility rentals page.

Event dates come from the community events page, trail details from the trails and greenways page, and the 27-acre figure and the trail plan from Who We Are. Houston Ross Park details come from the Village ribbon cutting notice, the fee schedule and Pondscapes of Charlotte. Population is the NC OSBM 2025 certified estimate. The town line test used the Census geocoder and the 2020 ZIP-to-place file. The Google Maps address was read October 16, 2026. The featured image is an illustrative scene, not a photograph of the park.

Last updated: October 16, 2026