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Open Streets, the popular program that temporarily closes Center City streets to cars, is growing to 20 dates this year — and organizers are renewing their call for the city to expand it citywide.
This year’s first Open Streets day, on Sunday, April 5, will close eight blocks — Walnut Street from Broad to 19th and 18th Street from Chestnut to Locust — from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Center City District business organization said Tuesday. It will repeat every Sunday through May 17.
There will be additional closures in the Midtown Village/Gayborhood neighborhood in June, and more closures in West Walnut/Rittenhouse in September and October and on one day in December. See below for a full listing of dates.
On Open Streets days, CCD blocks off roads and invites people to stroll, shop, and participate in outdoor activities such as yoga classes, ping-pong games and on-street dining. The program builds on Philadelphia’s long history of temporarily pedestrianizing streets with the aim of giving local businesses a boost.
The organization put out a new report on the outcomes of previous Open Streets days, which were first held as a pilot in September 2024.
“The results have been good for Center City, good for the retailers and restaurants of Rittenhouse Row, and good for Philadelphia,” CCD president and CEO Prema Katari Gupta said.
In the 2024-2025 season, there were an average of 10,000 visitors per event, a 27% increase in pedestrian activity compared to non-Open Streets Sundays the previous year, the report said. Sales at participating businesses increased an average of 38%.
“The question this report leaves open is not whether Open Streets works. It’s how far we can take it,” Gupta said.
Permitting reforms and subsidies
CCD’s report also notes the challenges to holding Open Streets days, which are primarily about cost and the organization’s staffing capacity.
A typical event requires about 16 staffers to do setup, breakdown, safety coordination, and on-the-ground management, it says. The biggest expenses are related to the police department’s requirements for safely ensuring cars can’t access the pedestrianized roads.
CCD has sought to reduce long-term costs by buying a movable barrier system, called the Meridian 1200 Archer, that can safely close streets without requiring use of police vehicles.
“In addition to lowering recurring operational expenses, the system reduces visual clutter and improves sightlines along the corridor, reinforcing the pedestrian-first intent of the program and creating a more welcoming street environment,” the report says.
To scale car-free street programs citywide, CCD is urging several regulatory reforms and city subsidies for the civic organizations that put on such events.
Those include establishing a distinct open streets permitting system, separate from those for street festivals and special events that have a broader set of requirements. Programs in New York and Chicago demonstrate that “recurring, low-impact street closures can be administered efficiently at scale,” the report says.
The report says the city should help pay for barriers or other street-closure methods, which are often “cost-prohibitive” for organizers. That could take the form of purchasing or leasing a stock of shareable modular barriers.
In certain high-use locations, permanent or semi-permanent infrastructure could be installed, like retractable bollards that are used in a number of cities around the world, CCD said. It would also be useful to develop a set of citywide best-practice guidelines for car-free events, to help organizations evaluate the feasibility and understand the costs of car-free events, the report says.
2026 Open Streets dates
The dates and locations for Open Streets 2026 are:
Spring
Open Streets: West Walnut
Walnut from Broad to 19th, 18th from Chestnut to Locust, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, April 5
Sunday, April 12
Sunday, April 19
Sunday, April 26
Sunday, May 3
Sunday, May 10
Sunday, May 17
Summer
Open Streets: Midtown Village
13th from Chestnut to Walnut, Sansom from Juniper to 12th, Drury Street, 4–9 p.m.
Tuesday, June 2
Tuesday, June 9
Tuesday, June 16
Tuesday, June 23
Tuesday, June 30
Fall
Open Streets: West Walnut
Walnut from Broad to 19th, 18th from Chestnut to Locust, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, September 13
Sunday, September 20
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, October 4
Sunday, October 11
Sunday, October 18
Sunday, October 25
Winter
Open Streets: West Walnut
Walnut from Broad to 19th, 18th from Chestnut to Locust, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, December 6
