Long Live the Streets!

Viva Streets returns to 23rd Avenue on August 12
By Erin Vanderberg / Editor

Last August, Viva Streets transformed Park Hill into a massive, all-neighborhood block party by closing 23rd Avenue, from Colorado Boulevard to Syracuse Street, to automobile traffic. The first annual event, coordinated by LiveWell Colorado and BikeDenver, saw around 7,500 people turn out – on bikes, scooters, wagons, skateboards, roller blades and foot – to participate in the day’s organized activities and spontaneous fun.

This August 12, Viva Streets returns to Park Hill with an additional two hours, more activities and the expectation of an even larger crowd.

“Park Hill is just a great neighborhood for this event because people are proud of their neighborhood and want to make their streets healthy by using them for recreation and supporting local businesses,” said LiveWell Colorado’s Tracy Boyle. “This event shows people that streets are not just for cars.”

Viva Streets was inspired by the ciclovía concept which began in Bogotá, Colombia over thirty years ago. In that country today, over a million people participate in weekly ciclovías that close miles of urban road to automobiles every Sunday and on holidays. The concept is gaining traction in the United States, which has seen a groundswell of support for ciclovías in a variety of metropolitan cities in the past few years.

For Tracy and Bike Denver’s Piep van Heuven, a Park Hill resident, the most pleasant surprise of last year’s event was seeing the Park Hill community make it their own: a ping pong table was rolled into the middle of 23rd, lemonade stands and garage sales cropped up in bordering yards, neighbors decorated their bikes and came in costume, families brought sidewalk chalk, musicians played violins, drum circles were formed in the shade and the smell of barbecue filled the streets.

This year’s sponsored activities include interactive health demonstrations at Cigna’s mobile learning lab, free photos at Delta Dental’s healthy smiles booth, guacamole-making at the Chipotle activity tent, and a hydration station at the Denver Water truck – to name a few. Also new this year is a custom Viva Streets 2012 bike jersey, available at the Primal Wear booth.

There will also be free yoga and zumba classes, face painting, a bike rodeo, jump rope and basketball, and so much more. Food trucks, bike mechanics and volunteers will also line the route, offering victuals, quick fixes and support to participants.

“Viva Streets is a great showcase and celebration of Denver being a healthy city,” said Tracy.

For more information, visit vivastreets.org or call LiveWell Colorado at 720-353-4120.