The streets of Woodstock will stop all driving activity and open the roads to the public on the 28 October for the Cape Town Open Streets, a day that encourages public interaction and creativity along the streets of the Mother City.
The event aims to enable the public to take back the streets and make use of the public spaces to bridge the social and spatial divides in Cape Town. Open Streets is a citizen-driven initiative that is carried out by volunteers, brings life to the streets of Cape Town for a single day and allows children to decorate the streets as they play a competitive game of hop-scotch.
Skateboarders and cyclists are welcome to hit the road running in designated areas.
It is a day that is celebrated by many locals, brings people from all backgrounds together to enjoy the public space and integrate with one another.
Notoriously known for hosting an array of activities for the kids and your inner child – the Open Streets day is a long awaited event. There will be activities available on the day to promote non-motorized transport.
The Open Streets event was launched in 2013 in Observatory and turns five this year. This year’s event will be hosted in the same locations as previous years as there has been a strong turn out of support from the public said Open Streets Cape Town Operations Manager, Rebecca Campbell.
“Local residents have expressed their support and by returning, we hope to strengthen our relationships with our partners, and create stronger connections between communities, while determining how best to scale the programme to more communities across Cape Town.”
The fun-filled day will take place across the city, with the following dates and locations
- Bellville: 25 November 2018
- Cape Town City Centre: 27 January 2019
- Langa: 24 February 2019
- Mitchells Plain: 31 March 2019
Open Streets was awarded the winner of the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) Challenge along with the Women mobilise Women conference, a side event that was held in Germany as part of the International Transport Forum in May 2018.
CEO of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District explains that the day brings about a sense of community in Cape Town.
“Open Streets is a powerful opportunity to demonstrate the potential of a CBD that belongs to everyone. We are looking forward to working not only with the organisers but with all the businesses and interested residents in the area to ensure this is another successful Open Streets Day” he said.
Join the movement as Capetonians bring the streets of Cape Town back to life at this year’s upcoming Open Street Festival.
Picture: Open Streets Cape Town