Festivals to include regular closing of NW16 on Saturdays

Plaza District, a popular arts district west of downtown, will close NW 16 between Indiana and Gatewood avenues each Saturday through October for a weekly 16th Street Saturdays festival.

The street closure, starting this Saturday, is an effort to give space to visitors to socially distance during their time in the Plaza District. With the extra space, the Plaza District will host artist vendors and live music, continuing its mission to provide opportunities for the public to interact with the arts and artists.

“We've been working on how to safely bring people to the district for months now, and we think this is a solution where everyone wins,” said Selena Skorman, executive director of the Plaza District. “With the street closed, we can ensure more room for our visitors and do some fun things for our patrons, like providing tables for people to grab carry out from their favorite restaurant and eat outside or hosting artists and performers.”

The first Saturday will include live music, an artist market, the start of Plaza Walls' Mural Expo, and several specials from Plaza businesses. On the third and fourth Saturdays in September, the Plaza District plans to revive their Solidarity in the Plaza: Black Lives Matter event, and will provide more details on this event in the near future.

16th Street Saturdays is noon- 5 p. m. and is located on the 1700 block of NW 16th Street. For more information, please visit plazadistrict.org.