A popular south Fort Worth event encouraging positive neighborly interaction and safe street awareness is on hold until 2027.
Open Streets will not return on Magnolia Avenue this April as event organizers navigate a “few growing pains in funding, production timelines, partnership expansion and infrastructure needs,” according to social media posts from Near Southside Inc., the nonprofit that produces the event.
Near Southside’s team of six produce over 24 big and small events a year and need to create some bandwidth that will allow them to build “momentum for the future of any given event,” the nonprofit’s incoming president Megan Henderson said via text.
The nonprofit is also focused on its leadership transition as current president Mike Brennan prepares to step down in April to take on a new role at Trinity Metro, she added.
“Open Streets is beloved by our Near Southside staff and by the community and taking a pause this year will help us to build some support behind the scenes that is needed," Henderson said via text.
Open Streets was founded in 2011 to promote a healthy lifestyle and alternative transportation.
The event temporarily closes Magnolia Avenue between 8th Avenue and Hemphill Street to automobile traffic to make way for nonmotorized skateboards, bikes, skates and scooters. The nonprofit partners with businesses and local vendors for family-friendly activities.
For its first 10 years, Open Streets was held for four hours on one Sunday a year. As the event grew in popularity, organizers shifted to one Saturday for six hours to allow more time for guests to enjoy closed streets.
The shift worked well for some, but others preferred the original schedule, Henderson said. The nonprofit will work closely with business partners to discuss which day of the week works best, she added.
Organizers also struggled to keep Fort Worth’s cycling community invested and hope to rebuild relationships with local leaders, Henderson said.
Near Southside plans to work closely with Magnolia Village stakeholders, longstanding partners and “new friends” to invest in strengthening the festival, according to the social media post.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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