Funding of Minneapolis Open Streets in question
The future of funding for Open Streets Minneapolis events may be in question, as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s 2024 budget no longer includes funding for the events.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A popular Minneapolis event that closes off large sections of the city’s streets to allow people to stroll freely will return in 2024.
What we know
Since 2011, one-day events known as Open Streets have drawn more than 680,000 people to areas like Uptown and North Minneapolis, where local businesses, artists, musicians and more congregate. From wrestling to live music and food trucks, the events are often considered free street festivals in various neighborhoods.
After the future of the program in 2023 was called into question due to organizational and financial uncertainties, city officials on Monday announced three different dates and locations for 2024.
This year, the Open Streets events will take place on Aug. 24 on Lyndale Avenue in partnership with the Uptown Association. The association plans to host more than 200 vendors, 40 food trucks and a “Back to School Jam” in Painter Park where backpacks will be given away, according to an announcement.
A second event will be held on September 21 along West Broadway and Lyndale Avenue North in partnership with the West Broadway Business Coalition. The coalition plans to host more than 250 vendors and activities, including live music, dance performances and cultural events, spread across 17 blocks to celebrate the area.
A closing event will be held on Nicollet Avenue in collaboration with the Lyndale Neighborhood Association, which plans to host multiple stages for live music, skateboarding demonstrations and a 5K run for beer.
“Open Streets is Minneapolis at its best,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in an announcement Monday. “These events bring thousands of people together to celebrate our great city – and the businesses, parks and people that make Minneapolis so unique. We are excited to launch another year of Open Streets, and I am so grateful to our city staff and neighborhood partners who have worked tirelessly to prepare these events for another successful year.”
Uncertain financing
In the past, the Open Streets program was run by Our Streets organizers, but after the organization applied for an additional $850,000 in funding from the city budget, financial support dried up completely.
FOX 9 spoke with Jose Zayas Caban, executive director of Our Streets, who said he feels the events are in jeopardy without the additional funding.
“Even though they make it look like Open Streets can continue, the where and the how are very important. Without funding for Open Street in its current form, it would essentially be over,” Caban said.
However, the city’s new plan calls for moving the project forward with the help of neighborhood groups instead.
The Minneapolis Department of Public Works has also helped in the past by closing streets, coordinating police operations and issuing permits for food distribution sites for the events and intends to do so again this year.
