CicLAvia is This Sunday! ~ Downtown Los Angeles

Route map (click for larger)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m

If you've never been to CicLAvia, this weekend is your chance to experience one of the best daytime events the City of LA has going. The magic of CicLAvia is the combination of exploring the city's nooks and crannies and seeing your fellow Angeleños up close and freed from their cars. The Third CicLAvia is expanded, with an extended route and creative mini-grants. Read more from the official release...

CICLAVIA INVITES ANGELENOS TO PLAY IN THE STREETS
AT LA’S BIGGEST BLOCK PARTY, FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
On Sunday, October 9, CicLAvia will open 10 miles of normally congested streets into a car-free, safe, family-friendly place for exploring the city from a new perspective and at a leisurely pace. CicLAvia is free and welcomes Angelenos of all ages, interests, and every kind of non-automotive transit imaginable – from sneakers to stilts and bikes to trikes. (Members of the city’s vibrant canine community are also welcome, provided that they are accompanied by an adult and properly leashed.)

Based on its overwhelming past success, CicLAvia has expanded its route from East Hollywood to Boyle Heights to include a north-south extension, stretching south to the African American Firefighter Museum on Central Avenue and north to El Pueblo de Los Angeles and Olvera Street, ending at Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

CicLAvia has also launched CicLAvia Walks, a new initiative to provide participants with opportunities to slow down and discover the many architectural, cultural, and culinary gems along the route. For example, artist Sara Daleiden will offer an lead an ongoing, open-to-all “wondering promenade” through historic downtown, and urban planner John Arroyo will offer the ultimate insider’s tour of Boyle Heights.

To promote CicLAvia’s festive atmosphere, CicLAvia Walks has also awarded 13 mini-grants to artists, musicians, and community organizations to present a wide variety of interactive programming and performances throughout the route. Some of the grant recipients have participated in CicLAvia before with great success, such as the Snap Yourself! mobile photo booth and the Eagle Rock Yacht Club’s friendly dodgeball games. Musical performances will range from an experimental sound forest to the traditional rhythms of Puerto Rico, Indonesia, and Mexico. CicLAvia participants will also experience unexpected revelry, such as a Wonderland-like game of street chess using life-sized pieces and the carrot-juice-fueled fun at the Bunny Rest Stop, hosted by a costumed colony of furry pranksters.

There will be six hubs along the CicLAvia route, each situated in the heart of a unique neighborhood: the Bicycle District in East Hollywood; MacArthur Park; the African American Firefighter Museum on Central Avenue; the South Lawn of City Hall; El Pueblo de Los Angeles at the city’s historic center; and Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. Each hub will offer free water, portable and wheelchair-accessible restrooms, first-aid stations, neighborhood guides and information, culinary delights, and a wide range of festivities, both planned and spontaneous.

Support for CicLAvia

CicLAvia is made possible through the generosity of its supporting partners, including the City of Los Angeles, Metro, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Cedars-Sinai, and Choose Health LA! (an initiative made possible by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health).

Generous support for CicLAvia is provided by the Annenberg Foundation/Metabolic Studio, the Goldhirsh Foundation, the Rosenthal Family Foundation, the David Bohnett Foundation, the Roth Family Foundation, the California Endowment, and Kaiser Permanente. Sponsors include Blue Shield of California, Herbalife, REI, New Belgium, and iZip Store. CicLAvia’s media sponsors are GOOD and Power 106 FM.

About CicLAvia

CicLAvia is Los Angeles' adaptation of ciclovía, a phenomenon that began more than 30 years ago in Bogotá, Colombia, where it is now a weekly event with 80 miles of car-free streets. Los Angeles launched its first CicLAvia on October 10, 2010, and attracted an estimated 100,000 participants.

CicLAvia is a nonprofit organization, developed in conjunction with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, to promote public health, green transportation, open space, economic development, and community building. With the full support of the Los Angeles City Council, Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Water and Power, and the Department of Parks and Recreation, CicLAvia is an innovative model for creating new public spaces accessible to all.

CicLAvia is free of charge and open to all. No reservations are required. For more information, or to download maps and walking tours, please visit www.ciclavia.org. To keep up with the latest CicLAvia news, become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.