NYC Summer Streets returns across all five boroughs

New York City’s Summer Streets program returned across all five boroughs in 2026, with selected avenues designated for pedestrians and cyclists rather than regular car traffic.

The citywide program operated on five Saturdays during July and August. The New York City Department of Transportation announced the program’s return on July 10, and the Summer Streets series was continuing on Aug. 1.

Five boroughs, five Saturdays

The announced program covered all five boroughs, making it a citywide street-access initiative rather than an event limited to one part of the city. Its schedule consisted of five Saturdays across July and August.

On the avenues selected for Summer Streets, the city designated space for people walking and cycling in place of regular vehicle traffic. The program’s stated framework does not mean that every major avenue or every neighborhood in the city was closed to cars.

The Department of Transportation is the city agency that announced the return of the series. Its July 10 announcement described the overall program framework: five boroughs, five Saturdays and selected avenues used for pedestrian and cyclist access.

Street access changes for people in affected areas

The temporary changes matter to residents, businesses and travelers using areas included in the program because they alter how selected streets can be used during Summer Streets. People walking and cycling receive access on the designated avenues, while regular car traffic is displaced from those locations for the program.

The available information establishes the citywide scope and the number of scheduled Saturdays, but it does not provide same-day attendance figures or incident data for individual Summer Streets dates. Those figures therefore cannot be used to assess participation or conditions on Aug. 1.

What is known about the series

Summer Streets was set to run during the July-August period on its five Saturday dates. The Aug. 1 event was part of that series. No economic, safety or emissions outcome is established by the available city announcement.

For people planning to travel through areas included in the program, the confirmed takeaway is that selected avenues were temporarily reassigned from regular car traffic to pedestrian and cyclist use as part of the five-borough Summer Streets schedule.