Open Streets are back this year in Rittenhouse Square and Midtown Village
Center City District intends to make the weekly events, which shut streets off from vehicle traffic for shopping, dining, and other pedestrian activities, a permanent fixture.
Dogs, kids, and shoppers rejoice — Philly’s Open Streets are back.
The Open Streets program, which shuts off streets near Rittenhouse Square and Midtown Village from vehicle traffic for family-friendly shopping, dining, and other activities, is back for 2026. Center City District piloted the program across 2024 and 2025, and now intends to establish it as a permanent Philadelphia fixture.
“Open Streets has demonstrated there’s a real demand and … proof that this model delivers social and economic benefits to Center City,” Andrew Jacobs, the business improvement district’s vice president of planning and public realm, said at an event Tuesday announcing the return of Open Streets.
“What has begun as a pilot has really gone from novel to expected,“ he said.
Over the two years of the pilot, 170,000 people visited 20 Open Streets events, representing a 27% increase in pedestrian activity from comparable days in previous years, according to a new report by the district.
“The results have been good for Center City, good for the retailers and restaurants of Rittenhouse Row, and good for Philadelphia, adding a chapter to the story of a downtown that is resilient, inventive, evolving, improving, and ambitious,” Center City District president and CEO Prema Katari Gupta said in a statement.
The first Open Streets date of this year will be Easter Sunday, April 5, along Rittenhouse Row. Center City District will run Open Streets for several consecutive weeks each season, for an additional 20 events in 2026.
The Open Streets: West Walnut program will be on 18th Street from Chestnut to Locust Streets, and on Walnut Street from Broad to 19th Streets, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Open Streets: Midtown Village will continue, but shift to Tuesday from Sunday to better align with the neighborhood’s weeknight dining activity. Those events will take place on Tuesday evenings this June from 4 to 9 p.m.
The streets closed to vehicles in Midtown Village will include 13th Street from Chestnut to Walnut Streets, Sansom Street from Juniper to 12th Streets, and Drury Street.
The full Open Streets schedule is available at centercityphila.org/openstreets.
Building familiarity
Center City District officials said the Open Streets program has proven to benefit Philadelphians and businesses alike.
" If you open up the street, give it to people, all of a sudden they’re starting to find and discover new things. It’s great for our business owners, it’s great for folks who are visiting," Jacobs said.
The report found over a third of Open Streets visitors came from Center City or adjacent neighborhoods, and a similarly sized group came from the suburbs or outside the Philly region, demonstrating a wide appeal, officials said.
Almost 60% of Open Streets visitors surveyed said they had discovered a business they had not previously been aware of.
Participating businesses along the Open Streets corridor reported an average 38% increase in sales compared with a typical Sunday, according to the report. In-store foot traffic increased by an average of 62% among businesses that reported gains.
As Center City District scales up the number of events this year, Jacobs said he envisions a future where Open Streets is woven into the routine of Philadelphia residents and becomes a familiar part of a visitor’s trip into the city.
“There’s no question whether it works, but it’s really how far we can take this,” he said.