Newbury Road closed to vehicles and welcomed a wealth of pedestrian site visitors Sunday – kicking off a collection of summer time programming as a part of town’s Open Streets occasions.
“Opening our streets makes it possible for residents to engage with their neighborhood in a new way, or to explore a new part of the City for the first time,” mentioned Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Boston Chief of Streets. “We’ve seen how local communities can flourish when we create a safe environment for walking, biking, and recreation.”
Open Newbury began off Sunday and can happen each Sunday by means of Sept. 21, skipping solely Aug. 31. Throughout the occasions, Newbury Road closes to automobile site visitors and encourages companies to, “activate their outdoor spaces with programming such as family-friendly activities, pop-up parklets and brand activations.”
Newbury Road in Again Bay closes for a mile-long, eight-block stretch from Berkeley St. to Mass Ave. throughout the occasions to permit for the outside eating, procuring and extra. Parking is banned alongside the route starting at 5 a.m. on the Sundays, and the road closes to vehicles from 10 a.m. to eight p.m.
Open Newbury was launched first as a pilot in 2016 and has grown yearly since to include extra small enterprise and resident programming.
“The restaurants, retailers, and service businesses along the iconic street, and the entire Back Bay area, benefit from the exposure that Open Newbury provides and through the draw of new visitors, especially those who may not otherwise shop or dine in the neighborhood,” mentioned Meg Mainzer-Cohen, president of the Again Bay Affiliation.
Open Newbury is scheduled to return for one winter Sunday on Dec. 7 for vacation procuring.
Town additionally holds Open Streets occasions at neighborhoods throughout town on Saturdays and Sundays all through the summer time and fall months from 10:30 a.m. to three p.m. The Open Streets launched in 2022 in simply Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury and now consists of 5 neighborhoods.
Roxbury hosted the primary Open Streets occasion of the season Saturday. The programming is about to proceed in Hyde Park on Aug. 10, Dorchester on Sept. 14, Mattapan on Oct. 18, and Jamaica Plain on Nov. 2.
The programming varies throughout the neighborhoods, however every occasion consists of “food trucks, face painting, balloon animals, crafts, interactive games, photo installations, exclusive performances and activations, and Pedicabs,” metropolis officers mentioned.
“When we see streets shut down to car traffic, community gets to take over, small businesses have tables out in the street, kids are running back and forth, music, dancing, food, it’s the best of what our public spaces look like,” mentioned Mayor Michelle Wu. “Open Streets is all about creating opportunities for neighbors to spend time together and show off everything that makes your neighborhood special, to deepen relationships on your block and across communities.”
Extra data on the Open Streets 2025 collection and Open Newbury might be discovered on the boston.gov.
