By Dan Murphy
Open Newbury will return for another season on Sunday, July 13, again transforming a mile-long stretch of that street into a car-free, pedestrian-only walkway replete with live music, games, and community tables.
Via the city initiative, eight blocks of Newbury Street between Berkeley Street and Massachusetts Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. The Boston Transportation Department will temporarily prohibit vehicles from entering Newbury Street from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue., and parking will be restricted on Newbury Street and adjacent streets, with enforcement beginning at 5 a.m.
Subsequent Open Newbury events, with the same hours and restrictions, are planned for Sundays, July 20 and 27; Aug. 3, 10, 17, and 24; and Sept. 7, 14, and 21. Open Newbury will then return for a special, one-day, holiday shopping event, again from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Sunday, Dec. 7.
“I’m excited to announce the lineup for our fourth annual summer of Open Streets. When we see streets shut down to car traffic, community gets to take over, small businesses have tables out in the street, kids are running back and forth, music, dancing, food, it’s the best of what our public spaces look like,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a press release. “Open Streets is all about creating opportunities for neighbors to spend time together and show off everything that makes your neighborhood special, to deepen relationships on your block and across communities.”
Meg Mainzer-Cohen, president and executive director of the Back Bay Association, added: “”The Back Bay Association welcomes the return of Open Newbury and appreciates the opportunity it brings for businesses to appeal to, and engage with visitors in unique ways. The restaurants, retailers, and service businesses along the iconic street, and the entire Back Bay area, benefit from the exposure that Open Newbury provides and through the draw of new visitors, especially those who may not otherwise shop or dine in the neighborhood.”
Open Newbury Street was launched by the city as a one-day pilot in 2016, and building on the success of that initial event, the program was expanded to three Sundays for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons. Following a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the program returned for three Sundays in 2021. The 2022 season spanned six consecutive Sundays in August and September. The 2023 season was expanded to 16 consecutive Sundays, while last year’s season comprised 10 consecutive Sundays between June 30 and Sept. 1, 2024, as well as a pair of Open Newbury holiday strolls held on the first two Sundays of last December.
Visit https://www.boston.gov/departments/transportation/open-newbury-street to learn more about the city’s Open Newbury program.