Open Streets Coming to Capitol Hill
For the first time in Open Streets DC history, the 2025 event will take place on Capitol Hill, on June 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed to vehicles from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be North Carolina Avenue SE from Sixth Street SE to Lincoln Park and Massachusetts Avenue from the park to 17th Street. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is trying to permit Lincoln Park for programming, neighborhood planner Paige Leddy told ANC commissioners in May.
The purpose of Open Streets is to focus on community building and transportation safety. So popular activations often include free fitness classes, live music, safety demonstrations, bike giveaways or bike maintenance, Leddy said, although the specifics are now in development. The team will not have street vendors but will prioritize businesses within Ward six that focus on health and transportation. There will be bathrooms and water stations. There is no cost to attend.
Leddy said the team will work with the local community, the Main Street organizations and businesses and vendors at Eastern Market to ensure the event showcases priorities in the neighborhood.
The final program schedule will be posted on the website two weeks prior to the event.
Residents in the area should pay attention to that site and street signage as vehicles will need to be removed from the route at midnight the night before.
Volunteers are welcome. Learn more at: openstreets.dc.gov/pages/spring-2025
This is a reprint from the ANC 6B May meeting, where commissioners voted to send a letter to DDOT in of the Capitol Hill Open Streets.
