SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has announced the return of the wildly popular Open Streets for downtown Salt Lake City beginning this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15 & 16.

Open Streets was first established in 2020 in partnership with the Downtown Alliance. During the weekend event, Main Street will be closed to automobile traffic from 400 South to South Temple to create a promenade with entertainment and activation on each block. Social establishments are invited to extend their premises onto the sidewalks.

“For three years, Salt Lakers have enjoyed Open Streets and the bustle of people, play, and commerce that it brings to Main Street,” said Mayor Mendenhall. “Salt Lake City leaders have envisioned a pedestrian playground on Main Street for decades, and I’m proud that along with our partners on City Council, we are making it happen for the fourth year in a row, this time during the cooler fall months.”

The fall edition of Open Streets comes as the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City is actively exploring options to permanently close Main Street for a pedestrian-only mall. In August, city officials took public comment to gauge the public’s vision of what a permanent open Main Street would look like and include.

“I’m also grateful for the hard work of our City teams who have worked tirelessly with the Downtown Alliance to bring imagination and joy to Salt Lake City’s ‘living room,’ and am excited for the benefit this expansive Open Streets activation will bring to residents and visitors alike,” said Mendenhall.

A full calendar of events can be found on the Open Streets website. This year Open Streets programming will feature a mini-golf course cascading down Main Street, Disco Box—a silent disco in shipping containers, Basecamp, a pop-up park with yoga at Main Street and Gallivan, and, of course, lots of free music.

The Fall Edition of Open Streets will run September 15 through October 28, every Friday and Saturday from noon to 1 a.m.