SANTA CRUZ — Open Streets Santa Cruz returns to West Cliff Drive on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., creating a pop-up street park along Santa Cruz’s iconic coastline.
The free, family-friendly event repurposes two miles of West Cliff Drive where people can walk, bike, roll, play and dance in the street with no motor traffic.
The event takes place from mid-Lighthouse Field State Park, east of Columbia Street, to Natural Bridges State Park at Swanton Boulevard (which will remain open). West Cliff Drive is closed to cars and open to neighbors.
Founded in 2012 by Saskia Lucas, Open Streets Santa Cruz County launched with the mission of promoting individual and community health through creative use of public space. Lucas was inspired by the Ciclovía movement born in Colombia in the 1970s — an initiative that spread across communities around the world.
Now, hundreds of Open Streets events exist across North America, from San Francisco’s eight-times-a-year Sunday Streets to Guadalajara’s Via RecreActiva. In 2016, Lucas passed Open Streets Santa Cruz County to Bike Santa Cruz County.
Along the route, attendees can experience interactive booths sponsored by nonprofit organizations, local businesses and community groups, and participate in performances, art projects and exercise demos.
For information, visit www.scopenstreets.org.
