Car-free festival takes over streets today
About 10,000 people are expected to flood long stretches of both George and Charlotte streets on Saturday when the streets go car-free for the day.
It’s the fourth year for the open-street festival, which is called Peterborough Pulse.
The idea is to encourage people to walk or cycle downtown and enjoy live music, local food and sidewalk sales.
Pulse won a provincial award for best large special event, last year.
“We are thrilled and very proud of this event,” said Downtown BIA executive director Terry Guiel on Friday.
It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The route is along George St., from McDonnel St. to the north to Sherbrooke St. to the south, and Charlotte St. between George and Aylmer St.
Expect new activities this year, Guiel said: there will be a rockclimbing wall installed outside Chumleighs on George St., for example.
Attendees might also want to visit the new downtown farmers’ market nearby at the foot of the Citi Centre apartments at Charlotte and Aylmer streets, he said.
And if you’re still hungry, Pulse will have a new healthy snack hub on Charlotte St.
Guiel said people asked for more food along the route, so they’ve added it – but organizers wanted an array of healthy choices, since Pulse is all about active transportation.
“The spirit of the event is healthy living,” Guiel said.
Pulse was named best large special event and promotion at the 2017 Business Improvement Area National Conference in Toronto in April 2017.
The awards were hosted by the Ontario BIA Association. Guiel said they won because Pulse “checks all the boxes”: it has a progressive theme, it embraces cyclist culture and boosts retail in the downtown, for example.
“And it’s really welcoming to wheelchairs, skateboards and bikes,” Guiel said. “I’m always astounded at the many different ways people get around Pulse. I love seeing it.”
Peterborough Pulse is free and takes place for only one day a year.
NOTE: The website forPeterborough Pulse is at http://www.ptbopulse.com/