Dozens of New York City streets will be closed to cars and turned into temporary pedestrian plazas on Saturday, April 25, when the city holds its annual Car‑Free Earth Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Department of Transportation said the one‑day event will span all five boroughs and feature free activities and environmental programming designed to highlight climate change and sustainable transportation.
Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn framed the event as a reminder of streets’ role in cutting emissions. “Transportation is the second biggest source of carbon emissions in New York City, and finding ways to make clean transportation options quicker, easier, and more affordable is key,” Flynn said in a statement. The DOT said city agencies and community groups will offer climate education and activism programming along the car‑free routes, and local artists will perform at many of the locations.
The initiative, launched in 2016 when it was limited to Manhattan, has expanded in recent years to include locations in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island. This year’s event is intended to connect existing Open Streets and plaza projects with the city’s cycling network, which the DOT notes totals more than 1,000 miles of bike lanes across the five boroughs. Organizers said the closures will give residents a chance to experience streets as public space rather than traffic corridors.
The DOT highlighted several “signature locations” where visitors can expect the most space and programming. In Manhattan, Broadway will be closed from 17th to 46th Streets; St. Nicholas Avenue from 181st to 185th Streets; and Dyckman Street from Broadway to La Marina/Inwood Hill Park. Queens will feature Woodside Avenue from 75th to 78th Streets. Brooklyn’s signature stretch is Fifth Avenue between 41st and 45th Streets, and in the Bronx East 188th Street will be closed from the Grand Concourse to Valentine Avenue. The agency said Staten Island will also host car‑free locations, though specific blocks were not listed in the announcement.
Public art will be a visible element of the day. The DOT’s NYC DOT Art program commissioned New York‑based visual artists to create temporary, environmentally focused works; among them is Frahydel Falczuk’s large‑scale installation “The Plastic Sea,” described by the DOT as evoking the sensation of being submerged in a “sea of plastic” to comment on waste and consumption. The DOT said a full map of all participating streets and programming details is available on its Car‑Free Earth Day page.
Organizers emphasized that the event is as much about promoting alternatives to driving as it is about celebration. By temporarily reallocating curb and roadway space to pedestrians, cyclists and community events, city officials say the initiative demonstrates how streets can support cleaner transportation options and community life. The one‑day closures are part of broader DOT efforts to expand open streets and reduce the city’s transportation emissions over time.