The city of Minneapolis is seeking proposals from groups to organize Open Streets events this summer.

The future of the popular pedestrian-friendly events has been uncertain since the city last year ended its contract with Our Streets Minneapolis, the organization that had run Open Streets since 2011. In December, funding for Open Streets events was approved as a part of the city's 2024 budget, though who would run the program remained unclear.

The annual events, typically held in the summer and fall, involve pop-up festivals where city streets are closed to vehicles. From 2011 to 2023, more than 500,000 people took to the streets for games, food, vendors and music.

While Our Streets Minneapolis organized all of the events in the Open Streets series, the city has now pivoted to offering groups a chance to run a single event or a couple of the events in the series. The city will provide up to $50,000 per event.

City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher said it was too early to gauge vendor interest, since proposals aren't due until Feb. 15, but she expected it would be strong.

"Hopefully, the events will be even more localized. More of the vendors and participants [will be] right around these areas," Anderson Kelliher said. "Getting those [a] more local feel and flair into it will be great."

The five events are currently planned for:

  • The Willard-Hay and Hawthorne neighborhoods: W. Broadway from Lyndale Avenue N. to Penn Avenue N.
  • Whittier, Lyndale, King Field and Tangletown neighborhoods: Lyndale Avenue S. from West 22nd Street to West 42nd Street
  • Prospect Park and Seward neighborhoods: Franklin Avenue from Portland/Park avenues to 26th Avenue S.
  • Lynndale and Kingfield neighborhoods: Nicollet from 31st Street to 46th Street
  • Northeast Minneapolis: An exact location has not been decided.

The exact dates for the five events have not been set. Proposals are due Feb. 15.

Those interested in learning more about the process can attend a pre-proposal conference on Wednesday.

Jack O'Connor is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for Star Tribune.

Correction: This story has been updated to note a city official said it was too early to gauge vendor interest in Open Streets events.