Open Streets Knoxville returns!
Join us on Sunday, May 17th from 2–6 PM as Open Streets Knoxville returns for an exciting afternoon of car-free streets, community connection, and active fun! Experience Gay Street like never before as it opens up to people instead of cars, from Summit Hill Dr. to Hill Ave., and extending across the Gay St. Bridge. Walk, bike, roll, dance, explore and more in the street!
This free, family-friendly event is open to everyone of all ages and abilities, and invites you to experience Knoxville in a while new way. Come out, be active, connect with your community, and enjoy the streets as public spaces meant for people.
Keep up with all the updates on our social media:
DANCE! BIKE! PLAY! ...IN THE STREET!
Open Streets Knoxville transforms urban streets into vibrant public spaces by temporarily detouring motor vehicles and bringing community members together with local businesses and organizations. Designed for people of all ages and abilities, Open Streets creates a safe, fun, and family-friendly environment to walk, bike, dance, and enjoy a variety of activities.
Unlike a traditional street festival, Open Streets Knoxville invites residents to explore their neighborhoods and support local businesses on foot or by bike. The event encourages the use of active transportation and healthy living, encouraging residents to reimagine our streets as welcoming, people-centered public spaces.
The goal of Open Streets is to close at least one mile of city streets to motorized traffic, creating a space for people to enjoy! Each event brings thousands of participants into the streets! To help cover the substantial costs of hosting Open Streets Knoxville, Bike Walk Knoxville relies heavily on the support of community sponsors and local businesses.
To make an online payment for Open Streets Knoxville, please click on the button below.
Why hold an Open Streets event in Knoxville?
Because Knoxville has miles of streets—and it’s not every day you get to enjoy them car-free and care-free. Open Streets offers a unique opportunity for people of all ages to explore and experience Knoxville’s roads without the presence of motor vehicles. Bring the whole family and enjoy the city in a whole new way.
Open Streets brings together people from across Knoxville to connect with neighbors and friends, get some exercise, and enjoy city streets that are closed to car traffic and open to walkers, joggers, cyclists, skaters, and all other forms of people-powered movement.
By detouring motor vehicles from the route, Open Streets creates a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment for everyone. It’s not a race, parade, or competition—it’s simply a chance to experience Knoxville from a fresh perspective. Walk your dog, roller skate, blow bubbles, and have fun, because during Open Streets, the streets are yours!
With each Open Streets Knoxville event, we aim to achieve the following objectives:
- Enhance the brand and identity of greater Knoxville as a progressive urban community
- Increase the health and activity of Knoxville area residents
- Promote and increase awareness for walking and biking as acceptable and safe modes of travel on public streets
- Increase neighborhood mobility, livability, and access
- Create a unique, sociable, and fun experience for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds
- Offer a free, inclusive public event that is accessible and affordable for everyone
The Global Open Streets Movement
One of the first and largest Open Streets (A.K.A. Cyclovias) in the world is held in Bogotá, Colombia. Every Sunday and holiday, every week of the year, the city closes down over 70 miles of roadways to cars to invite people to bike, walk, talk, exercise, picnic, sunbathe, etc. in the streets. People from all backgrounds come together in this beautiful community-inspiring event.
What is a Cyclovia?
Cyc˙lo˙via (/ˌsiːklɵˈviː.ə/) n.
A Spanish word signifying the temporary closure of a network of streets to cars so that they become “open” to people. During Cyclovia anyone can bike, walk, skate and participate in fun, free activities. The first Open Streets Initiative was called Cyclovia.
Check out this video to learn about the Open Streets movement: