MAYOR ADAMS EXPANDS “SUMMER STREETS” PROGRAM, BRINGING CAR-FREE STREETS FROM BROOKLYN BRIDGE TO EAST HARLEM

 

Extending by Nearly Two Miles and Up to East 109^th Street for First Time, “Summer Streets” Will Provide Over Eight Miles of Car-Free Streets

 

For First Time in Three Years, Program Will Be Restored to Three Saturdays in August, With Free Citi Bike Day Passes on August 6

 

City Will Also Offer Robust Programming in August, Hosting Over 120 Events on Open Streets and Plazas

 New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced a nearly two-mile expansion of the “Summer Streets” program, extending it for the first time from the Brooklyn Bridge up to East Harlem in Manhattan and restoring it to three Saturdays for the first time since 2019. Now, in its 14^th edition, the program will offer fun and free activities along eight miles of car-free streets on August 6^th, 13^th, and 20^th from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, along Park Avenue, Lafayette Street, and Centre Street up to East 109^th Street — including free Citi Bike day passes available on August 6^th with code SUMMER22. DOT will also offer a wide array of activities on Open Streets and plazas across the city throughout August.

 

“Our streets belong to all New Yorkers, and I’m so excited to be restoring the Summer Streets program to three full Saturdays and bringing it to East Harlem for the first time,” said Mayor Adams. “This is exactly what our public space is for: making fun activities accessible to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers for free. I look forward to more people than ever taking advantage of this incredible opportunity to enjoy the best our city has to offer.”

 

“Thanks to the hard work of so many city workers, especially the New York City Department of Transportation and our dedicated volunteers for the city’s largest block party, Summer Streets will be larger than ever before,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “This summer, more New Yorkers can enjoy even more continuous car-free space and programming.”

 

“The Adams administration is committed to equity in everything we do, which is why we have already, this year, expanded the Open Streets program to so many new communities in all five boroughs,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “In that same spirit, we are bringing back Summer Streets this August to a record number of blocks, bringing car-free streets and exciting programming to East Harlem for the very first time. Whether you are an avid cyclist, jogger, or pedestrian, New Yorkers should get ready!”

 

Since 2008, DOT has presented Summer Streets on nearly seven miles of streets, spanning from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park. This year’s program will, for the first time, extend all the way up to 109^th Street in East Harlem, adding almost two miles to the traditional route. This iconic stretch will be made accessible to the public for free activities and outdoor recreation, including walking, running, cycling, and playing. Following on the successes of Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs — the latter of which was expanded to new neighborhoods this year — the city will activate the Summer Streets program for three Saturdays for the first time since 2019.

 

On August 6^th, the first day of Summer Streets, Citi Bike will offer free day passes. Use the code SUMMER22 in the Citi Bike app to receive unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike for 24 hours.

 

In addition, throughout August, DOT will host over 120 events throughout the city on the city’s Open Streets and plazas, along with daily Open Streets operations in all five boroughs. DOT has secured nearly $1.3 million in federal stimulus funding this year to support the Open Streets program, and the agency has been working closely with elected officials, community partners, and local residents to identify new and established locations where new Open Streets and plazas would have greatest impact.

 

Below is the list of planned programming for Summer Streets, including at two new rest stops north of the program’s previous end point on East 72^nd Street:

 

Foley Square Rest Stop, Centre Street and Duane Street

• Adaptive Basketball Games with the Wheelchair Sports Federation
• Dance Party NYC
• Free Bike Rentals by Unlimited Biking
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Water on the Go
• Summer Streets Art Stop
• Summer Streets Beach Chairs and Cooling Zone

 

Astor Place Rest Stop, Lafayette Street and Astor Place

• DEP Water on the Go
• Fitness Class Stage: Free Classes by Just Like Om, Lifetime, Energi, Athleta, and WRKNYC
• The Movement Creative: Pop-Up Parkour Playground
• Taste of Summer: Snack and Beverage Sampling Zone
• Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet

 

Rose Hill Rest Stop, East 26^th and 27^th Streets and Park Avenue

• Bike Repair with the Five Borough Bicycle Club
• Dance Party NYC
• DEP Water on the Go
• DOT Bike Helmet Fitting
• DOT Truck’s Eye View
• Explore NYC Rainwater with Naik Group
• Free Bike Rentals by Unlimited Biking
• Learn to Ride with Bike New York
• Summer Streets Accessibility Station
• Summer Streets Art Stop
• Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet

 

Midtown Rest Stop, East 51^st Street and Park Avenue

• Art and Culture Hub
  • August 6: Native Planting with Glam Gardener NYC, Marching Band Hat Making with HONK NYC, Watercolor for Beginners with Art Students League of New York, Coloring and Temporary Tattoos with the Asia Society
  • August 13: Native Planting with Glam Gardener NYC, Marching Band Hat Making with HONK NYC, Watercolor for Beginners with Art Students League of New York, Tangram Challenge with Museum of Chinese in America, Make Your Own Ojo de Dios with Urban Studio Unbound, Recycled Art Making with Materials for the Arts
  • August 20: Native Planting with Glam Gardener NYC, Marching Band Hat Making with HONK NYC, Watercolor for Beginners with Art Students League of New York, Tangram Challenge with Museum of Chinese in America, Make Your Own Ojo de Dios with Urban Studio Unbound, Recycled Art Making with Green Inspired Art
• DEP Water on the Go
• Midtown Performance Stage
  • August 6: NYC Violinist, Dahka Band, Music With A Message, Sirens of Gotham, Project Connect
  • August 13: Evan V and the Jumping Jams Band, Lilee, the Blue Dahlia, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company
  • August 20: eGALitarian Brass, Metropolitan Horn Authority, The Afro-Latineers, Niall O'Leary School of Irish Dance, HONK NYC presents HONK Family Band
• Summer Streets Art Stop
• Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet
• Zing! Kids Fitness

 

Upper East Rest Stop, East 81^st Street and Park Avenue (New)

• Black Girls Do Bike: Riding Tips, Bike Repair, and Bike Tours
• Fit Club NY: Physical Therapy and Recovery Services
• Fitness Class Stage: Free Classes by Orange Theory Fitness, Fit Club NY, Pure Barre, The Code, 305 Fitness, Chase Fitness, Dance Body
• Free Bike Rentals by Unlimited Biking

 

Uptown Rest Stop, East 109^th Street and Park Avenue (New)

• Art and Culture Hub: Event Trivia and Coloring with Ebony Bolt, Art Lives Here, the Naji Play Machine with Naji, Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem Needle Arts
• Bindlestiff Family Cirkus (August 20)
• Go! Sports USA: Free Rollerblade Rentals and Instruction
• NYC Parks Play Mobile (August 20)
• Summer Streets Art Stop
• Uptown Pop-Up Performances
  • August 6: HONK NYC presents Off the Bar Brass Band, Marching Cobras, Batingua Arts, Fogo Azul
  • August 13: HONK NYC presents New Heights Brass Band, HONK NYC presents L-Train Brass Band, HONK NYC presents Tilted Axis Music for Mobile Electric Guitars, Fogo Azul

 

Below is a list of Open Street and Plaza programming partners during the month of August:

 

The Bronx

• Dance Party NYC
• Flatbed Follies
• Street Lab Programing
• Street Lab Public Space Programming

 

Brooklyn

• Broadway Forever!
• Dance Party NYC
• Flatbed Follies
• Fresh Air Fund Summer Spaces for Kids!
• Street Lab Programming
• Street Lab Public Space Pilots

 

Manhattan

• Bike the Block
• Broadway Forever!
• Circus Amok
• Dance Party NYC
• Flatbed Follies
• Street Lab Programming
• Street Lab Public Space Pilots

 

Queens

• Bike the Block
• Broadway Forever!
• Dance Party NYC
• Flatbed Follies
• Fresh Air Fund Summer Spaces for Kids!
• Queensboro Dance
• Queens Theatre Al Fresco at Corona Plaza, Featuring ATTAKKU
• Queens Theater Al Fresco at Corona Plaza, Featuring Karlos Franjo
• Queens Theatre Al Fresco at Corona Plaza, Featuring Mariano Cersa
• Queens Theatre Al Fresco at Corona Plaza, Featuring the New York City Police Department’s La Jara Band
• Street Lab Public Space Pilots
• Sunnyside Ecuadorian Heritage Event
• Sunnyside Open Air Studios
• Zing! Kids Fitness

 

Staten Island

• Bike the Block
• Dance Party NYC
• Street Lab Public Space Pilots

 

For additional details and updates about this year’s Summer Streets, please visit the DOT website or the Summer Streets website. For additional information on sites for Open Streets programming, please visit the Open Streets website.