This Sunday, from 11am – 5pm, Franklin Ave is going to shut down to car traffic from 27th to Portland, and instead be filled with dancing, music, food, and playful activity. RSVP on Facebook!
The stretch of road outside Triangle Park will be home to two highlights this year. At 25th, Coach Ahmed of the West Bank Athletic Club is organizing youth street soccer. And at the 26th end of the park, the Somali Museum dancers and the University of Minnesota’s Ethiopian Student Association dancers will be performing throughout the day!
Scot Elmi, from Capitol Café, is one of this year’s organizers working to ensure diverse programming is represented in the day’s activities. His cafe will also be hosting Argos Mansour playing guitar.
There are lots of ways to enjoy the event. First of all, you’re welcome to bike, walk, hula hoop, or roller skate down the middle of the street! After that, you can simply show up an wander. You can also aim for the “nodes” – new this year. On the Seward end, there’s a kid’s zone between 22nd and 24th. And the stretch of land from the Franklin LRT station to 11th is the American Indian Cultural Corridor. Check out the map here.
Or you can aim for specific sure-bet highlights:
- Welna Hardware will put out a sprinkler again
- Articulture is doing facepainting and bike helmet decorating
- Pizza Luce is hosting Open Eye Figure Theatre puppet shows
- Boneshaker will have a dunk tank and is featuring their Women’s Prison Book Project
- SoberFish will have a BOUNCY HOUSE
- Tracy’s Saloon is doing beer pong (minus the beer) and doing prize giveaways
There’s no right or wrong way to roll Franklin. Just come prepared for fun! And when you hit on gold, share what you’re up to on the social medias using the hashtag #OpenStreetsMpls. We’ll see you on Sunday!
Seward Arts & Culture 