On Friday, November 3, 2023, NewTown Macon and Bike Walk Macon will take over Second Street (Poplar St. to Cherry St.) and Cherry Street (Second St. to Third St.) for Play Streets Macon, a pedestrian-friendly street party during First Friday.

Play Streets Macon, a community-driven initiative inspired by Bike Walk Macon's Open Streets Macon, aims to empower residents to temporarily close streets to through traffic, creating a vibrant, safe space for play, connection, and family-friendly activities. This exciting initiative allows businesses to extend their offerings onto sidewalks and streets, transforming the heart of Macon into a pedestrian plaza that prioritizes people, fun, and play.

"Downtown Macon sees more pedestrian traffic than any other area in our city, and we're thrilled to provide more space for play and business this First Friday by repurposing sections of our public streets that are typically reserved for cars," says Rachel Umana, Executive Director of Bike Walk Macon. "This is just the beginning - we hope Play Streets can serve as a pilot for more pedestrian and family-friendly spaces in downtown, promoting business, safety, and community connections."

From 6 to 9 PM, the streets will come alive with interactive activities, extended patio seating from downtown restaurants, an outdoor living room, lawn games, a dance party with CMD Styles on Second Street sponsored by Visit Macon, free yoga hosted by Sparks Macon, and much more. Over 30 partners and downtown businesses will participate in the event and activate the streets with fun and engaging activities for the whole family.

“We are thrilled to team up with Bike Walk Macon, downtown businesses, and community partners to reimagine our downtown streets and show what can happen when you create inviting and inclusive public spaces, even if they’re temporary,” said Emily Hopkins, Vice President of External Affairs at NewTown Macon. “We invite the entire community to play with us in the streets, discover downtown businesses, and make memories in the heart of downtown.”

This initiative is made possible through the Downtown Challenge Fund at the Community Foundation of Central Georgia in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Peyton Anderson Foundation.

Play Streets takes place from 6pm to 9pm on Friday, November 3 and is free and open to the public. Event activities will be set up on Second Street between Cherry and Poplar Streets and Cherry Street between Second and Third Streets. Street closures will go into effect at 4pm and last until 11pm.

For more details and an interactive map of the event, please visit bikewalkmacon.com/playstreets.