Summer Streets Activities

2021 Activities

Please find the Summer Streets 2021 activities recapped below.

Route Features

Information Tents

Information tents located at each rest stop provide general Summer Streets route and activity information, first aid and translation and accessibility resources.

To request accessibility accommodations, please contact SummerStreets@dot.nyc.gov by August 2, 2021.

NYC Water on the Go

Stay hydrated this summer! New York City is fortunate to be able to enjoy some of the best drinking water in the nation. With support from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NYC water will be available at all four rest stops and along the route.

Be sure to bring your own refillable water bottle and visit NYC Water on the Go stations to refill!

NYC Water on the Go stations are located at:

  • Foley Square Rest Stop: Lafayette Street near Worth Street
  • Lafayette Street near Spring Street
  • Astor Place Rest Stop: Lafayette Street near Astor Place
  • Union Square East near East 17th Street
  • Midtown Rest Stop: East 27th Street near Park Avenue
  • Park Avenue near East 39th Street
  • Uptown Rest Stop: East 51st Street near Park Avenue
  • East 71st Street near Park Avenue 

Sanitizer Station

Help stop the spread of COVID-19! Attendees will have access to hand sanitizer at each rest stop.

Summer Streets Art Stop

Take a selfie in front of a huge 5ft tall by 15ft wide NYC logo, featuring the art of Priscila De Carvalho and celebrating the Summer of NYC. The series of four designs is inspired by encounters between nature and the built environment and illustrates the vitality and energy of NYC streets combined with the native landscape, fauna, and flora of the artist's home country, Brazil. Walk, run or bike the entire route to find all four pieces in this series. Share on social media with #SummerStreets.

Find the Summer Streets Art Stops at:

  • Foley Square Plaza, Duane and Centre Streets
  • Lafayette Street at Astor Place
  • East 26th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues
  • Rudin Plaza, Park Avenue between East 51st and East 52nd Streets

About the Artist: New York-based artist Priscila De Carvalho is a multimedia artist working with public art, painting, sculpture, and site-specific installations. Ms. De Carvalho’s visual narratives range from urban environments to social, economic, and political content. The artist exhibited widely nationally and internationally. She represented Brazil at The Kathmandu International Triennial in Nepal, El Museo’s Sixth Bienal The [S] Files/The Street Files in New York City, and Bronx Museum Biennial in Bronx, New York. De Carvalho's work belongs to permanent collections of institutions such as The Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program, NYC DOT, Public art for Public Schools and School of Construction Authority in New York City, Artium-Basque Museum of Contemporary Art, Vitoria, Spain, MTA's Arts For Transit, New York City, Lower East Side Printshop, Siddhartha Art Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Valley Metro, Phoenix, Arizona.

Citi Bike

Use the Lyft app to rent a Citi Bike from any one of nearly 1,500 stations and head to Summer Streets!

Citi Bike will be providing valet service at four stations along the Summer Streets route:

  • 50th Street & Park Avenue
  • 27th Street & Park Avenue
  • Lafayette Street & East 8th Street
  • Centre Street & Chambers Street

To celebrate their system expansion, Citi Bike is offering 50% off annual membership for eligible New Yorkers. See citibikenyc.com/expansion21 to learn more.

Share your favorite Summer Streets moments on social using #CitiBikeSummer!

Foley Square Rest Stop - Health and Safety

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Presents Flatbed Follies

Foley Square Plaza, Duane and Centre Streets

Come mingle with Bindlestiff performers in the plaza on both Saturdays or enjoy a scheduled performance. The mission of Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc. is to bring joy and wonder into the world. They are founded upon a respect for circus tradition and a drive to create new work that speaks to contemporary American culture.

August 14

9:00am to 9:45am
10:30am to 11:15am
12:00pm to 12:45pm

Learn more at bindlestiff.org.

Big Onion Walking Tours

Northwest corner of Chambers Street and Centre Street in front of the Surrogate Courthouse

Since 1991, Big Onion Walking Tours has led locals and visitors alike on innovative and exciting tours through New York’s ethnic neighborhoods and historic districts. For more than two decades, Big Onion guides have lead tours that explore the diverse fabric of New York City. Big Onion’s educator & graduate student guides lead tours that are the finest, most comprehensive, and thought provoking walks available. Big Onion Walking Tours emphasizes the diversity of New York City’s neighborhoods and people. Our educator-guides expertly use architecture and the built environment to explore the city’s historical roots of immigration, race, ethnicity, and gender that have shaped the city’s unique social and cultural identity.

August 14

Tour is fully booked! 

“Immigrant New York: Walk the streets of Chinatown, Little Italy & the Five Points”

The City of New York has welcomed immigrants from throughout the world for centuries. Our walk, Immigrant New York explores the experiences of the different immigrant and ethnic populations residing in the Lower East Side from the early 19th century through today. We’ll walk through Chinatown, Little Italy, the Jewish East Side, and former Irish/Free Black Five Points. We will “peel away the layers of history” while discuss tenement, pushcarts, sweatshops, as well as places of worship and street life to see how everyone got along (or didn’t) at different times. Some stops include: the Tweed Courthouse, the African Burial Ground, infamous Mulberry Bend, the Bowery, sites associated with Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Jacob Riis, Abraham Cahan, “Master” Juba, Emma Goldman and many others.

NYC DOT Truck’s Eye View

Centre Street between Duane and Pearl Streets

NYC DOT’s popular Truck's Eye View has moved from our Uptown Rest Stop to its new location in Foley Square. Children and adults can climb into a parked truck to experience a truck driver's perspective on the roadway. Visit the Vision Zero information tent for safety information and giveaways. Masks are encouraged and will be available on site. Special thanks to our partners, the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and Wegmans for the trucks used in this year’s activation.

DSNY Trucks of Art

Centre Street between Duane and Pearl Streets

The NYC Department of Sanitation partnered with volunteer artists for Trucks of Art, a new public art project that transformed five 23-ton collection vehicles into roving works of art. These heavy-duty machines offer nearly 400 square feet of “canvas,” and artists leveraged the trucks’ sides, front and back in their works. Trucks of Art will highlight the importance of sustainability and honor New York’s Strongest, the workforce that keeps New York City healthy, safe and clean, while adding a bit of flair to neighborhoods as we serve them. Because the Department is leading New Yorkers to send zero waste to landfills, artists were challenged with using recycled house and spray paint that was collected and salvaged from our SAFE Disposal events. The trucks will be on display at various events throughout the summer, then put into regular service rotation starting in September.

Walk-Up COVID-19 Vaccinations

Lafayette Street between Duane and Worth Streets

NYC's Vaccine Command Center will provide FREE Pfizer vaccines at Summer Streets. Everyone ages 12+ is eligible and no appointment is needed.

Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet

Lafayette Street between Duane and Worth Streets

Free bike valet provided by Transportation Alternatives. Leave your bike with attendants and enjoy rest stop activities.

Free Bike Rentals by Unlimited Biking

Lafayette Street between Duane and Worth Streets

Unlimited Biking, a premier bike rentals, tours and experiences company, is partnering with Summer Streets to provide FREE bike rentals for individuals participating in the event. With over 4,000 bikes across New York, California, Washington DC and Virginia, Unlimited Biking will be present at two rest stops along the seven miles of Summer Streets, with 100 complimentary bikes at each rest stop.

Rental Details:

All rentals will come with helmets, baskets/bike bags and illustrated maps. An active credit card must be on file. Bikes are available on a first come, first serve basis – and attendees are asked to limit their ride to one hour. 

Reserve in advance here or send any questions to sales@unlimitedbiking.com.

Free NYC DOT bike helmets will be available for bike rental attendees only. Masks are encouraged and will be available on site.

Astor Place Rest Stop - Fitness and Sports

Fitness Class Stage

Cooper Square between Wanamaker Place and 8th Street

Come meditate, stretch, jump, kick and get your heart rate up at free fitness classes. Participants are encouraged to bring personal yoga mats for Just Like Om sessions each Saturday. Fitness classes can accommodate a maximum of 30 participants in order to guarantee adequate social distancing.

Fitness Class Schedule - August 14

8:00am to 8:45am - Just Like Om | JustFlow: Vinyasa
9:00am to 9:45am - Life Time's XTREME
10:00am to 10:45am - Energi Total Wellness Studio: Salt Drop
11:00am to 11:45am - Athleta + Free the Jiggle by Jessie Diaz-Herrara
12:00pm to 12:45pm - WRKNYC | Family Friendly Bootcamp

ZING! Kids Fitness

Astor Place Plaza, Lafayette Street at 8th Street

Zing! provides fun-powered experiences to help kids feel amaZING through movement, mindset, and play. Join Zing! instructors for interactive, confidence-boosting Zing! Fit classes for kids ages 4 to 11, Zinger Fit games & challenges, and more!

Classes are held every 30 minutes and will be approximately 15-20 minutes in length. To participate, a parent or guardian must sign a safety and photo waiver. Visit zing-kids.com for more information.

August 14

9:00am
9:30am
10:00am
10:30am
11:00am
11:30am
12:00pm

The Movement Creative

Astor Place Plaza, Lafayette Street at 8th Street

The Movement Creative will build a pop-up parkour playground that encourages family-friendly, creative movement via a unique portable parkour park that will challenge balance, strength, jumping, and climbing skills. Their experienced coaches will share their favorite movement games and skills while providing individualized challenges. The Movement Creative is a nomadic movement studio in New York City that blends the ethos and practice of parkour with a variety of eclectic movement disciplines.

The outdoors is our gym, and we use our city to make us stronger. To participate, a parent or guardian must sign a safety and photo waiver. Visit themovementcreative.com for more information.

August 14

7:00am to 1:00pm

Adaptive Basketball Games with the Wheelchair Sports Federation

Astor Place between Broadway and Lafayette Street

The Wheelchair Sports Federation invites the public to participate in training sessions and live games or watch an exhibition of practicing adaptive basketball teams. Able bodied individuals are also invited to participate in the sessions with loaner wheelchairs available to the public.

Big Onion Walking Tours

Astor Place Plaza East, at the “Black Cube”

Since 1991, Big Onion Walking Tours has led locals and visitors alike on innovative and exciting tours through New York’s ethnic neighborhoods and historic districts. For more than two decades, Big Onion guides have lead tours that explore the diverse fabric of New York City. Big Onion’s educator & graduate student guides lead tours that are the finest, most comprehensive, and thought provoking walks available. Big Onion Walking Tours emphasizes the diversity of New York City’s neighborhoods and people. Our educator-guides expertly use architecture and the built environment to explore the city’s historical roots of immigration, race, ethnicity, and gender that have shaped the city’s unique social and cultural identity.

August 14

Tour is fully booked! 

“East Village: A walk exploring the world of hippies, hipsters & immigrants”

Explore the area made famous by radicals and immigrants alike, the East Village is the lesser-known side of Broadway between Houston & 14th Streets. Our tour combines the history of German, Ukrainian, and Jewish immigrants with the long neighborhood legacy of labor activism. We also explore the evolution of local theaters from the Yiddish stages of the early 20th century to becoming the epicenter of the 1970s counter-culture music scene! Stops could include: the Fillmore East, St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, the historic Marble Cemetery, the Public Theater, and sites associated with Peter Cooper, Dorothy Day, Peter Stuyvesant, Sophie Tucker, and the General Slocum disaster of 1904.

Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet

Lafayette Street at Astor Place

Free bike valet service provided by Transportation Alternatives. Leave your bike with attendants and enjoy rest stop activities.

Midtown Rest Stop - Biking

Free Bike Rentals by Unlimited Biking

East 27th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues

Unlimited Biking, a premier bike rentals, tours and experiences company, is partnering with Summer Streets to provide FREE bike rentals for individuals participating in the event. With over 4,000 bikes across New York, California, Washington DC and Virginia, Unlimited Biking will be present at two rest stops along the seven miles of Summer Streets, with 100 complimentary bikes at each rest stop.

Rental Details:

All rentals will come with helmets, baskets/bike bags and illustrated maps. An active credit card must be on file. Bikes are available on a first come, first serve basis – and attendees are asked to limit their ride to one hour. 

Reserve in advance here or send any questions to sales@unlimitedbiking.com.

Free NYC DOT bike helmets will be available for bike rental attendees only. Masks are encouraged and will be available on site.

Learn to Ride with Bike New York

East 26th between Park and Madison Avenues

Learn to Ride-Kids is a free group class for children who are ready to ditch their training wheels and ride a two-wheeler for the first time. Kids must bring their own bike and helmet. Your child's bike must be sized so they can rest their feet flat on the ground while sitting on the bike seat. Spaces are limited.

Please register in advance online to guarantee participation.

When creating an account for registration, make sure you enter the participating child's name and birthdate in the 'Personal Info' section.

Bike Repair with the Five Borough Bicycle Club

Park Avenue at East 26th Street

The Five Borough Bicycle Club will offer free bike repair at the Midtown Rest Stop. Whether you are new to cycling, a commuter seeking new adventures, or an avid cyclist, we have rides for you. Quite simply, when you ride with the 5BBC, you ride with friends. Our rides are more than just getting there and back; they are an experience to be shared. We accommodate all skill levels. For beginners and casual cyclists we offer "happy face rides" that will get you off and rolling. For intermediate cyclists, we have rides that will push you further than you have gone before. For advanced cyclists, you can let loose and fly on our quick spins. We have short 10-20 mile jaunts and longer 75+ mile treks. Our rides are safe, led by trained and experienced leaders who will motivate and encourage you. Before each ride we discuss safety and perform our famous two minute bike check. Most of our rides use the point-drop-sweep system so you won't get lost. If you have a mechanical issue on the ride, we will help you fix it or see to it that you get safely home.

Learn more at 5bbc.org.

NYC DOT Bike Safety Zone

East 27th Street between Park and Madison Avenues

NYC DOT will provide bike safety activities for all ages and provide free bike maps, bike lights and bike bells.

Presented by NYC DOT Safety Education and Bikes Unit.

Pop Up Performances

East 25th Street between Park and Madison Avenues

Come watch and participate in a series of pop-up performances presented by Fogo Azul drumline and marching band. Three performances at each Summer Streets event.

August 14

10:45am
11:30am
12:15pm

Learn more at fogoazulnyc.com.

Bike Self-Parking

East 26th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues

Unattended bike self-parking will be provided at your own risk. Please lock your bike.

Uptown Rest Stop - Art and Culture

Art and Culture Hub

Rudin Plaza on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets/East

Participate in a variety of fun and interactive workshops geared towards children ages 2 and up hosted by some of the City’s most coveted arts and cultural institutions. Learn more about the City’s exciting arts and cultural offerings and create your own craft to take home.

Special thanks to Rudin Management for hosting the Arts and Cultural Hub at Summer Streets 2021.

August 14

Modeling Memorials with The Noguchi Museum
Join Noguchi Museum educators in exploring models for memorials designed by Isamu Noguchi for sites around the world. Then create your own three-dimensional model about an important person or event in your life using model magic.

Marching Band Workshop with HONK NYC

HONK NYC brings street band music & spectacle to audiences everywhere. Make a customized marching band hat with the HONK NYC team and start your very own parade!

Origami Creatures with HYPOTHEkids

Come learn how two dimensional shapes can be used to make symmetrical three dimensional models! We'll teach you how to make a dog, penguin, swan, and rabbit!

Color Theory Exercise with Urban Studio Unbound

Participants will learn about Color Theory by using color combo palettes & creating their own designs on "Penny Spinners." This activity is appropriate for all ages!

Uptown Performance Stage

Rudin Plaza on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets/East

Listen to a diverse array of musical, theatrical and dance performances at the Uptown Performance Stage located on Rudin Plaza.

Thanks to Rudin Management for their support.

August 14

8:00am to 8:45am: Classy Brass Duets
9:00am to 9:45am: Dahka Band
10:00am to 10:45am: The Afro Latineers
11:00am to 11:45am: Music with a Message
12:00pm to 12:45pm: Mambembe

Big Onion Walking Tours

Northeast corner of 68th Street and Park Avenue

Since 1991, Big Onion Walking Tours has led locals and visitors alike on innovative and exciting tours through New York’s ethnic neighborhoods and historic districts. For more than two decades, Big Onion guides have lead tours that explore the diverse fabric of New York City. Big Onion’s educator & graduate student guides lead tours that are the finest, most comprehensive, and thought provoking walks available. Big Onion Walking Tours emphasizes the diversity of New York City’s neighborhoods and people. Our educator-guides expertly use architecture and the built environment to explore the city’s historical roots of immigration, race, ethnicity, and gender that have shaped the city’s unique social and cultural identity.

August 14

Tour is fully booked! 

“The Upper East Side:  Park Avenue and Beyond”

Explore one of the most luxurious neighborhoods in the world as we delve into the personalities, scandals, and institutions that have made it so legendary. While emphasizing the Gilded Age, our tour will discuss the evolution of the area from the late 18th century farmland through the early 19th century development and ultimately its “discovery” by the New York elites – the Upper 400.  Stops could include: the Park Avenue Armory, the elegant Frick Mansion, as well as the Marcel Breuer’s Brutalist museum. We will also explore sites associated with Richard Morris Hunt, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, Stanford White, as well as the Morgan, Tiffany, Vanderbilt and Whitney families.

Transportation Alternatives Bike Valet

Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets

Free bike valet service provided by Transportation Alternatives. Leave your bike with attendants and enjoy rest stop activities.

Pop-Up Samples

Vita Coco

Vita Coco is a delicious, nutrient- and electrolyte-rich coconut water will take you right to the tropics. At least, figuratively. Meet Vita Coco brand ambassadors and try a sample at the Astor Place Rest Stop.

Runa

Energy From a Leaf. Runa is dedicated to bringing you clean energy in every way possible, from using only real ingredients to how we source and produce our great-tasting energy drinks. Meet Runa brand ambassadors and try a sample at the Astor Place Rest Stop.

Leilo

Inspired by Fiji, built in NYC, Leilo is “on a mission to de-stress a stressed out world”. Leilo is a non-alcoholic relaxation beverage with kava and l-thanine. Meet a Leilo brand ambassador and try a sample at the following Rest Stops: Foley Square, Astor Place, Midtown and Uptown.

Chameleon Cold Brew

Say hello to the nation's original cold brew – an intensely bold, super smooth cold-brew with a buzz as big as Texas. Meet Chameleon Cold Brew brand ambassadors and try a sample at the Foley Square Rest Stop.

Nesquik

Spark Some Greatness With a Sip of Nesquik’s Protein Power or Chocolate Milk. Meet Nesquik brand ambassadors and try a sample at the Astor Place Rest Stop, August 14th only.

Gorillas

Gorilla is a grocery service that “delivers in 10 minutes” bringing anything from pre-packaged food, to drinks and fresh produce from local vendors. Meet Gorillas brand ambassadors and try a cold beverage or Rx protein bar at Foley Square, Astor Place or the Midtown Rest Stop, August 14th only.