Do you despise cars? Sick of them gumming up New York’s streets and polluting the air? Well, for one day only, you'll have the chance to gallivant around a mile-long stretch of Broadway without having to look both ways.
From 9am to 3pm on the Saturday after Earth Day (Saturday, April 27), the city is making thirty blocks of Broadway between 42nd Street and 17th Streets completely car-free. The initiative, now in its fourth year, gives New Yorkers a chance to imagine a world that prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists over four-wheelers.
During the event, a series of activations and performances will occupy six different rest stops: Times Square (42nd Street and Broadway), Garment (38th Street and Broadway), Herald Square (34th Street and Broadway), City Zone (26th Street and Broadway), Flatiron (23rd Street and Broadway), and Union Square (17th Street and Broadway).
Throughout the entire stretch, city agencies and nonprofit groups will host a series of environmental programs that promote activism and provide education on things like climate change and sustainability. There are certainly plenty of ways to promote environmental awareness on Earth Day—but this event is likely the most entertaining.