Local News

Open Newbury Street is back for six Sundays this year. Here’s what to know.

The street will be free of cars from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue.

Newbury Street on one of the Open Newbury Street days in 2021. Neslihan Sahinkaya

August 12, 2022

The City of Boston announced Friday that Open Newbury Street is returning for 2022 on six consecutive Sundays: August 21, August 28, September 4, September 11, September 18, and September 25.

Newbury Street — a mile-long, eight block stretch that has been made pedestrian-only on some summer Sundays in the last few years — will be free of cars from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue. The intersections of Exeter Street, Fairfield Street, Gloucester Street, and Hereford Street will also be car-free from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on each of those Sundays.

open streets

Newbury Street, on these open days, will be reachable on public transportation via the Arlington and Copley stations on the Green Line, the Back Bay station on the commuter rail, and the Orange Line shuttle. Bike corrals are stationed throughout the event and there are Blue Bike stations on adjacent streets. People coming by car can park in garages in the Copley Square area south of Boylston Street.

Only businesses that have brick-and-mortar locations on Newbury Street can participate. Any of those businesses are welcome to set up an event outside as long as they are using the parking lane directly in front of their business and coordinating with neighboring storefronts.

Open Newbury Street started in 2016 on one Sunday in August. Its success inspired the expansion of Open Newbury Street to three Sundays a year in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021, with a hiatus in 2020 for COVID-19. This year’s expansion to six Sundays makes it the longest running version of the events yet.

Mayor Michelle Wu launched another program called Open Streets Boston this summer, inspired by Open Newbury Street, with three events: on Centre Street, between Jackson Square and Centre/South; on Blue Hill Avenue, between Warren Street and Dudley Street; and on Dorchester Avenue between Freeport Street and Gallivan Boulevard.

The Centre Street and Blue Hill Avenue events were held in early July and August, but the Dorchester Avenue open street day is forthcoming, on Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. These events have been very popular so far, and many are in favor of expanding events like these even further.