Park Slope's Saturday Open Street Adds Sunday Dates In May, June

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — The Fifth Avenue Open Street returned to Park Slope last weekend for its first-of-many Saturday events, but the community space will soon operate on Sundays, too.

The Open Street, which closes 15 blocks of Fifth Avenue to cars between Bergen and 16th streets on most Saturdays through October, will expand into most Sundays from May 1 through June 26, according to the Business Improvement District.

Closing the street to cars on Sundays will help accommodate the Open Street's packed calendar of weekend-long events, organizers said, including the return of the beloved Fabulous Fifth Avenue Fair on Sunday May 15.

"Our special events and shows include everything from the Brooklyn Pride Parade, food festival Tastes of Park Slope, pop-up artisan markets and family-friendly variety shows," said BID director Joanna Tallantire.

Upcoming events include an art stroll on May 21, an artisan market on June 4 and a pride fair-slash-twilight parade on June 11, according to organizers.

All of these events and activities, though, come at a cost, and organizers are asking for help to keep the jam-packed Open Street going in its bigger-and-better third year.

A community fundraiser, which has raised about $13,800 of its $30,000 goal, will raise funds for crew needs (like radios and vests), signage, barriers, and hiring extra crew members for events.

"We will be receiving limited funds from the City, but it isn't enough," said Tallantire. "We did it last year, we hope to do it again."

Supporting the Open Street, which is managed by a non-profit, ensures that the pedestrian boulevard stays safe and event-filled throughout the season, organizers wrote on the fundraising page.

The Open Street on Fifth Avenue first opened in 2020, when the city closed roadways to help New Yorkers dine and spend time outside during the coronavirus crisis.

Dubbed "The Other Fifth," the Open Street became a popular destination, staying fully operational even as the city struggled to keep other pedestrian boulevards open.

The space was such a success that it added blocks last season, and received extra resources from the city to open as a "supercharged" (so-called) Open Boulevard.

The Other Fifth will operate from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays in April, July, August, September, and October, and on Sundays in May and June (save from June 19, which is the Seventh Avenue Street Fair).