This Sunday, the Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC), the Spring Garden Area Business Association (SGABA), and the North End Business Association (NEBA), are partnering to bring you HALIFAX: Open Street Sundays. The 4-hour event, formerly known as SWITCH Halifax, will happen Sunday, September 18 from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. and will be the first major open street event in Halifax (since COVID-19.)
Presented by OSO planning + design, HALIFAX: Open Street Sundays will see Agricola Street (Almon to Cunard), Spring Garden Road (South Park to Queen), and Argyle Street (Blowers to Prince) close to vehicular traffic, creating safe spaces throughout the city for people to move, gather, exercise, and perform. The event is free, and everyone (and their dog) is invited to explore Halifax through a different lens.
“Open Streets are about community, allowing folks to enjoy the city without the interference of traffic or crowded sidewalks,” said Kieran Stepan, Founder and Partner, OSO planning + design. “By allowing people to take back their streets, they are returned to public space for social gathering, local commerce, art, culture, and active transport. That is the true form and purpose of streets.”
Open Street Sundays will feature free entertainment, classes, and activities; as well, some businesses will be extending beyond their storefronts and local vendors will be selling food and other goods.
Event highlights:
Spring Garden Road
Performances from inesS Circus, Harpist Mark Skinner, and Bass the Ace RJ; and Lovely Lees Food Truck will be on-site.
Grafton Park
The “chill zone,” a place to sit and enjoy the talent of chalk artist Jason Skinner.
Argyle Street
The “fun zone,” with GLOW Parties, Halifax Circus, Discovery Centre’s Discovery on Demand, Neptune Theatre, Halifax Dance, and free face painting.
Agricola Street
Enjoy free Yoga, a kid’s zone, a “learn to hula-hoop”, live drumming and a street wide market featuring; the Neighbourly Market, Ana + Zac’s Local Market, and Halifax Army Navy Store Flea Market.
About Open Streets
Open Streets encourages people to enjoy HRM in a new way by walking, biking, and moving around safely and comfortably. It is not about street closures – it is about opening streets to a greater variety of uses. Halifax Open Streets is inspired by Ciclovia, which translates to “bike way” or “bike path”; millions of people in cities around the world participate every Sunday and holiday on thousands of kilometres of city streets. The long-term effects of Ciclovia are safer cities where people can travel with ease and have a new vision of public space. Halifax Open Street makes use of the existing network of streets and bicycle routes. The vision of Open Streets is to switch the way you think about your streets, your community, and your city.
For more information on the event, you can visit their Facebook page: https://fb.me/e/3Cy9u23Xx