Summer Streets is back this August with seven miles of car-free NYC blocks
Summer Streets 2019; Photo courtesy of New York City Department of Transportation on Flickr
New York City’s original “Open Streets” return this August. The Department of Transportation announced “Summer Streets,” the annual initiative that transforms seven miles of Manhattan streets into a car-free oasis, will take place on August 7 and August 14. While the city’s popular Open Streets program was established last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Summer Streets is now in its 13th year.
On August 7 and August 14 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Park Avenue will be closed to cars from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge. Spanning roughly seven miles, Summer Streets gives New Yorkers a safe place to play, run, and bike along the historic thoroughfare and connecting streets. In 2019, 300,000 people attended the weekend event.
Last year’s Summer Streets initiative was “temporarily discontinued” because of the coronavirus, but “following the recent ban lifts and the undeniable success of the Open Streets and Open Restaurants program, DOT is excited to reactivate the Summer Streets program,” a press release from the agency reads.
Details about the free events and live performances scheduled to take place have not been released yet. But previous Summer Streets activities have included a dishwasher-themed waterpark, a 165-foot zipline, rock climbing, fitness classes, and free food samples and snacks.
Stay in the loop for this year’s Summer Streets event here.
