Community Activation

Streets, alleys, and plazas are some of Seattle's greatest public space assets and many are available for community gatherings and other social uses. Explore our various community activity programs below to find out more!

Block Parties and Play Streets

Children enjoying a play street! Small, residential street closures that aim to bring neighbors together. 






Festival Streets

People enjoying the Canton Alley festival streetWe've designated specific streets in Seattle as Festival Streets so communities can quickly and easily hold events. Most permits for events on Festival Streets are free.




PARK(ing) Day

People enjoying ice cream at a Park(ing) Day installation!Annually, people temporarily transform parking spaces worldwide into "people spaces". On the third Friday of September, PARK(ing) Day is an opportunity to reimagine how streets can be used by the public. The initiative started as a grassroots movement meant to repurpose public space, especially in areas where access to parks and open space is limited.



People Streets

Residents enjoying the People Street on Pike.In an effort to support our neighborhoods, we closed off certain blocks to vehicles in order to implement temporary, pedestrian-only streets. From 2015-2017, we partnered with the Capitol Hill community to pilot this program in the Pike/Pine corridor. Following the success of our pilot, we are expanding the People Streets opportunity to other neighborhoods across the city.



Street and Sidewalk Activities

Vendor stocking a stall at the Ballard Farmers' Market.We also encourage medium-scale activities in streets, alleys, or plazas. These include, but are not limited to, farmers' markets, sidewalk sales, and intersection mural paintings.





Special Events

Participants in a paradeLarge-scale events with more than 500 people at one time or more than 99 people in an enclosed space such as a fenced-off kids' play area require a Special Event permit.




Transportation

Greg Spotts, Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996
Phone: (206) 684-7623
684-Road@seattle.gov

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities for everyone as we work to achieve our vision of Seattle as a thriving, equitable community powered by dependable transportation.