Washington Park in Albany, New York is the city's premier park and the site of many festivals and gatherings. As public property it dates back to the city charter in 1686, and has seen many uses including that of gunpowder storage, square/parade grounds, and cemetery. The park is often mistaken as being designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, as it incorporate many of the philosophical ideals used by Olmsted when he designed Central Park in Manhattan. The park is about 81 acres (33 ha) in size with the 5.2-acre (2.1 ha) Washington Park Lake, a roughly 1,600-foot-long (490 m) and 140-foot-wide (43 m) lake, in the southwestern corner.

Washington Park Lake is a body of water in Albany, New York located in the southwestern corner of Washington Park. It has a surface area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2) and a mean depth of 6.6 feet (2.0 m). The deepest sections of the lake are just over 11 feet (3.4 m) deep. The lake is roughly 1,600 feet (490 m) long and 140 feet (43 m) wide. Next to the lake is the Washington Park Lakehouse and an amphitheater where the Park Playhouse performs musicals in the summer. A wrought-iron pedestrian bridge spans the lake at its narrowest point. The footbridge over Washington Park Lake is the only remaining original structure in Washington Park. Erected over the lake in 1875 the lamps on the bridge were originally gas burning but were electrified in 1881. Ice skating is permitted on Washington Park Lake, though swimming is prohibited.