Brooklyn Open Streets: A Guide to Car-Free Streets and Community Programming

Open streets transformed how Brooklyn uses its public space. What started as a pandemic-era necessity in 2020 — giving New Yorkers room to move safely outdoors — became something the city's neighborhoods refused to give back. Today, dozens of Brooklyn streets run regular open street programming, turning car lanes into community living rooms on a schedule.

How open streets work in NYC

NYC's open streets are managed at the local level. A community organization, block association, or business improvement district applies for and holds the permit; volunteer stewards set out and collect the orange barriers on schedule; and the programming — or the simple act of being open — happens in between. The city's NYC DOT Open Streets program coordinates the infrastructure and permitting, but the real work is done by neighborhood groups.

Most open streets run on weekend mornings through early afternoons, typically from around 8am to 1pm or later, though hours vary widely. Some busier streets have extended or full-day programming.

Active open streets across Brooklyn

The following areas have established open street programming. Specific schedules shift seasonally — check with local organizations or the NYC DOT open streets map for current hours:

• Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights — one of Brooklyn's most active open streets, anchored by the neighborhood's dense restaurant and café scene; see the Vanderbilt Ave open street guide
• Underhill Avenue, Prospect Heights — the residential companion to Vanderbilt; a quieter open street popular with families, cyclists, and the neighborhood's community organizations
• 5th Avenue, Park Slope — Park Slope's secondary commercial strip has hosted open street programming; the Saturday Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza extends the pedestrian energy into the weekend
• Court Street and Smith Street, Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill — commercial strips with open street programming that support the neighborhood's café and restaurant culture
• Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg — periodic open street events along North Brooklyn's main strip
• Open Restaurants program — distinct from open streets but related: outdoor dining structures that extended commercial activity onto the sidewalk and roadway across Brooklyn neighborhoods
• Summer Streets — the city's annual late-summer program closes major routes (like Park Avenue in Manhattan, but with Brooklyn connections) to cars for cycling and community programming

What programming happens on open streets

The most active Brooklyn open streets develop their own recurring programming calendar:

• Outdoor markets: local vendors, makers, and farmers set up on the car-free street; some are organized by local BIDs or neighborhood groups, others are informal pop-ups
• Fitness and wellness: yoga, tai chi, Zumba, and cycling groups use the open space as a free outdoor gym
• Kids and family programming: chalk art, jump rope, supervised play, and organized kids' activities that spill into the street from nearby playgrounds and community organizations
• Live music and performance: buskers and organized musical performances; block associations sometimes hire musicians for special programming days
• Community organization tables: neighborhood groups set up to recruit volunteers, register voters, share information, and accept donations — see the open street fundraising guide
• Cultural events: neighborhood cultural organizations and BIDs organize themed programming — cultural heritage celebrations, seasonal festivals, neighborhood anniversary events

The organizations that run them

Brooklyn's open streets are sustained by a network of local organizations, often working with minimal budgets and volunteer labor:

• Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) — commercial-strip BIDs often hold the open street permit and coordinate programming for their corridor
• Block associations — residential blocks apply for and steward their own stretches; see the block association events guide
• Neighborhood development councils — organizations like Prospect Heights' PHNDC take a coordinating role across a wider area
• Community boards — all 18 Brooklyn community boards engage with open street proposals and can be allies for new programs

Starting a new open street

If your block or commercial strip doesn't have open street programming, you can start one. The NYC DOT Open Streets application is open to community organizations, block associations, and business groups. You'll need:

• A sponsoring organization (block association, BID, or nonprofit) to hold the permit
• Volunteer stewards committed to setting up and taking down barriers on schedule
• Community board notification (some CBs require a formal presentation)
• A plan for how you'll use and program the space

An online fundraising page to cover steward supplies, programming costs, and organizational expenses is a smart early step — see the open street events and fundraising guide for how to structure it.

In Prospect Heights? Start with the Vanderbilt Avenue guide. Running a community campaign in your neighborhood? See the Brooklyn neighborhood fundraising guides.