How Car Free Events Can Transform the Denver Tourist Experience and Why I’m So Excited About !Viva Streets Denver!
I’ve never had the opportunity to visit Bogota, Colombia. But, it is high on my list of places to visit because of a unique car free event that I want to experience. Ciclovia. Every Sunday in Bogota a significant part of a highway is shut down so that citizens and tourists a like can experience the roads and town in a different way. Cities across the world are launching similar experiences.
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New York City did this during the holiday season by closing down 5th Ave, Paris does this on the first Sunday of every month during the summer and now Denver is launching a new event called ¡Viva Streets Denver! I feel like there’s not enough publicity around it especially as it’s launching on Mother’s Day 2023-a great day to ride, walk or meander up and down Broadway. If you’re wondering how car free events can transform the Denver tourist experience-listen on.
Not the First Car Free Event in Denver
There was a lovely event that was held in Park Hill around 2017 (?) my mom and I rode over and enjoyed a beautiful day of food, music and cycling. In fact, I was so frustrated afterwards because it was a one and done deal. It seemed like the type of cool event that was a good fit for Denver.
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¡Viva Streets Denver!
I’m so excited about this event. It’s being held on the following Sundays during late Spring and the Summer Months.
- May 14
- June 4
- July 9
- August 6
A significant stretch of Broadway will be closed down so that people can ride, bike, walk and scoot their way down the street. Events like this will help transform how Denverites experience the City and how tourists experience Denver.
Hear me out.
I recently shared a podcast episode entitled “Is Downtown Denver a Hellscape?” In that episode I talk about the unique challenges that the eastern section (in particular) of downtown is dealing with. From the May D & F clocktower going to the Capital. There is an entire business corridor that I still experience and enjoy and I think having people congregate en masse, is a great way to reconnect with downtown.
As I prepare to support, participate and experience this event I think about what it was like to visit Breckenridge during COVID. Main Street was blocked off and it was truly THE MOST MAGICAL experience that I’ve had visiting Breck, Frisco and Salida. Breckenridge had a record breaking earnings year.
I felt like I was in Europe or South America. Wandering up and down a boulevard that was created with people and community in mind. I was able to take my time, discover stores that I didn’t realize were there…even though I’ve visited more times than I can count.
Bogota, New York City, Paris, Denver
And other cities are finally, finally embracing community forward events that could also be impactful for tourism.
What do I mean?
I am literally planning future trips with the idea of including these experiences as part of my travels. I am looking to visit New York City this year and am keeping an eye out for announcements on whether or not 5th Avenue will be closed off so that we can walk up and down the Boulevard. Unfortunately, in the US transformative experiences often have to be thought of from a financial return perspective.
Will this make the City of Denver money? Will tourists be attracted to the idea of roaming up and down a major street listening to music, eating and chilling out. I think the answer is resounding”Yes” but that Denver needs to throw a little more money into supporting this event.
Just like when the then Governor Hickenlooper continued to allocate funds in the state budget for marketing Colorado to other states during the Great Recession, we need to include this event in our marketing campaigns-I’m thinking it’s a huge opportunity to make money and share a unique experience of Denver with locals and tourists alike.
When I was working on this post, I also thought it would be important to share other car free events that take place in town that are already happening.
There’s the numerous markets that happen close to transit stations and around town. We have 1 car free First Friday on Santa Fe in August which should be car free throughout the summer due to the popularity of the event. In fact, I think we could reasonably argue this is now a safety issue in the case of 1st Fridays on Santa Fe.
I planned on recording this episode before attending the event, but instead, decided to record the episode AFTER attending. I’m glad that I waited.
How Was the First ¡Viva Streets Denver¡
It was AMAZING! The weather was cloudy, a little chilly for folks not expecting rain overall it was a perfect day to hold the event. It also happened to be Mother’s Day. I walked almost the entire length of the route beginning from 1st and Bayaud and turning east on 18th and Broadway. I spoke with people new to me, I discovered stores that I’d never seen before. I enjoyed the quiet that happens in a car free space.
As I made my way down Broadway, it felt like I was a part of something special and I wished that other people knew about. The folks in mountain towns who get weird about coming down to Denver. Or, the people who hysterically talk about downtown Denver being a hellscape. This event was wonderful and I plan on finally getting my bike fixed AND blocking the next 3 ¡Viva Streets Denver! Sundays so that I can participate.
I do want to mention a couple of things that I noticed and didn’t realize, was surprised by or wanted to clarify because I think it may have been confusing.
- Did you know that Taste of Colorado is back and is combining a smaller event with ¡Viva Streets Denver!? I didn’t either until I walked by Civic Center Park. This will happen again at the June and July events.
- This event is for the following types of transportation:
- Walking
- Roller Skates
- Wheelchair usage
- Biking
- Electric bikes
- Skate boards
- Scooters
- Runners
- Just NO CARS or Vehicles.
- ALL Denverites are Welcome! I was sad that I didn’t see more Black and Brown faces at the event. I need to see groups like:
- Kids
- The Elderly
- Teens
- Outdoor Afro
- Latinos Outdoors
- BIPOC Mountain Collective
- Denver Soul Line Steppers
- Where are my AAPI folks at?
- Denver Urban Skate
- Doggos (on leash please)
- And the list goes on
This event happened on the heels of Denver dropping to the bottom of the US News and World Report List of Best Places to Live in the United States. While I think a drop down the list should have happened, I think the amount of the drop was absurd. That said, experiences like this one are key part of recreating something that I’ve talked about in a previous episode to our Mayoral Candidates-lack of community. It has been so sad to see people be so disconnected from our town.
I get that we have a lot of people who aren’t here for the long-run and sometimes it shows. Perhaps an event like ¡Viva Streets Denver! will help citizens and tourists alike connect with each and reconnect with a part of the City that many people just drive by and don’t actually stop and explore. There are so many negatives that people have focused on in the City that I want to shout out this event out and how amazing it was to be a part of it. This is a huge opportunity and I hope we don’t mess it up. See you at the next one!
I’ve also written a review of the event and also a ¡Viva Streets Denver! best practices post. I’ve included links in the show notes. Did you attend? How was it for you? Have you participated in a similar event around the world.