Citi Summer Streets 2017 To Bring Huge Waterslide To Manhattan

NEW YORK, NY — A 270-foot waterslide will be set up in the middle of Manhattan when Summer Streets returns to the city Aug. 5. The event has closed usually packed thoroughfares to traffic for the past 10 years, instead opening them as public playgrounds.

The slide will open in Foley Square Aug. 5, 12 and 19. Registration is required and available through Eventbrite. The first Saturday has sold out.

The closed-off area extends from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park along Park Avenue and connecting streets. Held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., all activities are free of charge. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Beyond the slide, other activities include a 165-foot-long, 30-foot-high zipline at Uptown Rest Stop on 52nd Street, a bouldering wall at Foley Square, bike-riding classes in Midtown, a “Paws and Play” dog park at Astor Place and fitness classes in Soho. There will even be a giant water park in the shape of a dishwasher, according to the city website.

In 2016, the city reported that nearly 300,000 people took advantage of the open streets.

A full map of the Summer Streets route, which is organized by the Department of Transportation, is available on the city website. Nearly seven miles of streets will be involved.

Summer Streets is modeled after other events from around the world, including the Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia and the Paris-Plage in France.

Photo credit: Kyle McCarthy