Bed-Stuy To Host Brooklyn's Car-Free Earth Day: What To Know

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Chalk murals, bench-building and other Earth Day family fun is headed to Bed-Stuy's Tompkins Avenue this month.

Bed-Stuy's Open Street on Tompkins Avenue has been chosen as the Brooklyn location for the city's fifth and largest "Car-Free Earth Day" on April 23.

"Of all the Brooklyn sites, Tompkins Avenue has been elected to do this activity," Bridge Street Development Corporation COO Oma Holloway told Community Board 3 this week.

Tompkins Avenue is one of 100 open streets, 22 plazas and 1,000 miles of bike paths that will include celebrations for the holiday, ranging from music, dance, art and more. The city's Earth Day comes a day after the globally observed Earth Day, which falls on April 22.

This is the fifth time New York City marked a "Car-Free Earth Day" and the first since the coronavirus struck.

After Earth Day, the Open Street on Tompkins Avenue will return Sundays starting May 8, according to the Tompkins Avenue Merchant Association. Another Open Street is also planned for Lewis Avenue this year.

Here's details about Bed-Stuy's event, provided by the Department of Transportation:

Bed-Stuy — Route: Tompkins Avenue, Gates Avenue to Halsey StreetOpen Street Active Hours (11:00am – 7:00pm)Programming Highlights (11:00am – 5:00pm):

• Street Lab's Street Marker installation, featuring chalk and custom chalk tools to draw and create expansive murals, and BUILD, an interactive building station featuring Lego, Magna-Tiles, and more
• Activities and workshops with Citizens' Climate Lobby, EDSA, Mechanical Gardens, NYC Department of City Planning, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and the The Horticulture Society of New York

More information and updates can be found at nyc.gov/carfreeday.