9 Open Streets Events in 2019 to Look Out For!

At least 9 more major #OpenStreets events are scheduled to take place across Los Angeles County in 2019. These events provide a rare opportunity for locals and visitors alike to explore, experience, and envision their communities at a slower, more casual pace. They also offer LA County residents who increasingly tend to stick to their sub-region of our sprawling metropolis an excuse to get out of their bubbles and explore new neighborhoods. 

As huge fans of #OpenStreets, #GabeTheSasquatch and his friends at #ActiveSGV have put together a list of some of the most interesting and exciting ciclovias scheduled for 2019. Interestingly, the 2019 calendar includes more Saturday events than ever before (5 in total), including a twilight event and several multi-city events. Be sure to save-the-dates and say hi if you see Gabe and friends exploring territory outside the San Gabriel Valley. Also, be sure to thank Metro Los Angeles staff when you're at the events, as their Open Streets Program is supporting 8 of the 9 ciclovias on our list!

Sat April 27, 2019 | Beach Streets West (Long Beach)

The City of Long Beach brings back its annual "Beach Streets" event on April 27, 2019. Unlike most ciclovias in the region, Beach Streets has traditionally taken place on a Saturday, and the Earth Month 2019 edition is no different. The new event route will traverse almost 2.5 miles of Pacific Avenue, featuring 3 activity hubs along the way. If the event is anything like previous editions, there will be great live music and performers spread across the route, as well as plenty of family-friendly activities at the event hubs. The #ActiveSGV and #626GoldenStreets team has attended several #BeachStreets events in previous years, and can attest to their unique feel, relaxed atmosphere, and diverse offerings. For those attending from inland communities, the Long Beach events also are very accessible via Los Angeles County's major river greenways, including the San Gabriel and Los Angeles River Trails. Although the Blue Line remains under construction - Metro Rail will not be an option for the April 28 Beach Streets event -  we highly recommend making the trek to Long Beach for their popular ciclovia. More info at www.beachstreets.com.

Sun April 28, 2019 | CicLAvia 2050 (Wilmington)

This may be the first time, ever, that back-to-back ciclovias have been hosted in Los Angeles County, with cicLAvia Wilmington following on the heels of Beach Streets in Long Beach. The two events on the weekend of April 27-28 are only a stone's throw apart, too, providing an opportunity for #OpenStreets lovers traveling from further afield to make a weekend of it by booking a room or reserving a warm shower. We thus have dubbed April 27-28, 2019 super ciclovia weekend in SoCal and challenge our friends to make it out to both of these great events. Also noteworthy, the April 28th Wilmington route will be CicLAvia's 30th event, and only the second in this unique part of the City of Los Angeles. Start planning your day on cicLAvia's website here.

Sat May 18, 2019 | Rose Pedal (Pasadena)

This may be the second time, ever, that back-to-back ciclovias are hosted in Los Angeles County!!! Not to be outdone, neighboring communities in the San Gabriel Valley will host #OpenStreets events the weekend of May 18-19, less than a month after the neighboring coastal communities of Long Beach and Wilmington host their own events on consecutive days. Perhaps upping the ante even further, the first event will directly follow the final stage of annual Tour of California, the largest professional bicycle race in the United States, and one of the biggest stage races in the world. After the Men's and Women's Races finish (10am-2pm), the 5K loop around the Rose Bowl Stadium will remain open for guests to run, walk, and bike freely without vehicle traffic (2pm until sundown). The event will also offer participants access to Brookside Park, free fitness and health classes led by Orangetheory Fitness and Stadium Fitness, and a variety of food trucks. More information on Rose Pedal here. 

Sun May 19, 2019 | 626 Golden Streets - Mission to Mission (South Pasadena, Alhambra, San Gabriel) 

After a two-year hiatus -- #GabeTheSasquatch needed a sabbatical after experiencing a fire-and-rain in 2016 and 2017, respectively -- 626 Golden Streets is on track to make up for lost time with two new event routes in 2019! The May 19th event will open five miles of streets in the cities of San Gabriel and Alhambra for the first time. Dubbed "Mission-to-Mission", the route connects the historic San Gabriel Mission in the City of San Gabriel to Mission Street and the historic Mission District in the City of South Pasadena. Each downtown district will feature an array of activities including live music and performances, games, electric bike/scooter/car demos, and more; for a full lineup check out the hub page. The route will also connect directly to the South Pasadena station, allowing for easy event access via the Metro Gold Line. If you like tasting the diversity of southern California - the route is lined with some of the (626)'s best eateries - this will be one of the tastiest ciclovias in 2019. Add the tour of California and Rose Pedal the day prior, and May 18-19, 2019 is shaping up to be an excellent excuse to spend a weekend in the San Gabriel Valley! 

Sat June 1, 2019 | Paramount & Bellflower Open Streets Neighborhood Connectivity Event

All Metro Open Streets Program (Cycle 3) Proposed Event Routes

We were not able to find out much about this first-time, multi-jurisdictional ciclovia the Cities of Paramount and Bellflower are planning other than it is scheduled for June 1, 2019, estimated to be a respectable 5.5 miles long, and appears to be the first "loop" ciclovia we have seen staged in Los Angeles County. The City of Paramount was awarded grant funding to host the event within the most competitive field of open streets proposals in Los Angeles County to date (only 15 of 26 applications were awarded funding). Fortunately the silver lining for those projects that did not receive funding was that the Metro Board heard from a number of communities that really want to continue to host these events -- including Long Beach and Santa Monica -- and subsequently authorized a second, mini-grant cycle with an additional $1 million to support community ciclovias (stay tuned for even more open streets events in 2020!). In any event, we strongly encourage folks to get out of their bubbles and explore parts of the County they haven't seen firsthand or normally do not travel to. Open Streets events are an excellent excuse to do so. More info on the City of Paramount's website.

Sun August 11, 2019 | CicLAvia Meet the Hollywoods (West Hollywood, Los Angeles)

The biggest and most experienced open streets event organizer in Los Angeles County -- over two dozen major ciclovias since 2010 and counting -- cicLAvia will unveil a whole new event route on Sunday August 11, 2019. This will be the City of West Hollywood's first time hosting an open streets event, in partnership with the City of LA City. In the works for several years, the event route has yet to be unveiled, but it is anticipated to be the longest on the 2019 calendar at 6.5 miles. CicLAvia organizers generally release details one event at a time, so save-the-date and stay tuned for more information about this hotly anticipated cicLAvia after their April 28, 2019 event! 

Sun October 6, 2019 | CicLAvia Heart of LA (DTLA)

The first (10/10/10) and still one of the best, cicLAvia's Heart of LA route has become an October tradition for open streets lovers in Los Angeles County. Traditionally staged on the first Sunday in October, the 2019 event is scheduled for Sunday October 6th. Each year the event route changes a little bit, connecting LA's historic core to adjacent neighborhoods, including Chinatown, Little Tokyo, MacArthur Park, Boyle Heights, Grand Park, and the Arts District. 

Sat October 26, 2019 | 626 Golden Streets - SGV Streets and Treats (El Monte, South El Monte)

The second 626 Golden Streets event of 2019 will feature a whole new route connecting ActiveSGV's headquarters and the SGV Bicycle Education Center Campus at the Jeff Seymour Family Center in North El Monte to El Monte Main Street and the South El Monte Civic Center. To be staged on a Saturday, the event will feature trick-or-treating stops along the route for costumed participants of all ages, as well as coincide with El Monte's annual Dia de los Muertos celebration on Main Street. The route will also directly link to the Rio Hondo River Path, the El Monte Metrolink Station, and El Monte Bus Station (the largest west of the Mississippi), offering lots of ways to attend without a car. More info to come on the 626 Golden Streets website after the 5/19/19 Mission-to-Mission event.

Sat November 23, 2019 | San Fernando Street Festival: Nocturnal Ride (San Fernando)

Last staged on March 31, 2018, the San Fernando Street Festival is back with a new concept on Saturday November 23, 2019. In the 2018 Metro Call for Open Streets projects Metro staff encouraged applicants to consider experimenting with the Open Streets model by staging events with unique themes, building upon other events, and/or at different times of the day than the 9am-4pm window that has become the "standard" for most events in Los Angeles County. Based on the name of San Fernando's 2019 event, it appears the event organizing team took staff's recommendation to heart, and the City will host the only the second evening ciclovia to be staged in Los Angeles County this Fall; the other local, twilight ciclovia was a Beach Streets event hosted by the City of Long Beach in August 2018, which took place from 5-10pm. Event details have yet to be released for the 2019 event, per the San Fernando Street Festival Facebook page.