North Broad gets another go for Philly Free Streets in August

The Philadelphia Free Streets day, when the city closes off select streets to cars and trucks, will be a touch of déjà vu this summer.

On August 3, North Broad Street from City Hall to Butler Avenue will host the event for the second consecutive year, delighting a local leader.

“It is phenomenal when you have people from different cultures and races come together and just have complete fun,” said Amelia Price of the Call to Serve Community Development Corporation. “We actually had one of our officers who was painting a lady’s nails we try to think outside the box for different activities.”

Mayor Jim Kenney enjoyed how the event brought out all kinds of people.

“I saw a father on roller blades pulling his son on a tricycle and an elderly gentleman move his chair from his porch to the middle of Broad Street to be immersed in the positive energy of business on Broad created by people not cars,” Kenney said.

Philly Free Streets participants are invited to join the car-free route at any point — there’s no formal start or finish. The goal is to encourage participants to use SEPTA or IndeGo bike share to join the route.

During the program, people are urged to support businesses along the route and to stop and participate in the family-friendly programming. A portion of North Broad will be transformed into a beach for the event.

About 50,000 people showed up for the 2018 event.

This year’s eight-mile round trip route, between City Hall and Butler Avenue, just north of Erie Ave. on North Broad Street, will create a car-free connection between Center City and the heart of North Philadelphia for the day.

A map of the route can be found at www.PhillyFreeStreets.com.