{"id":1353,"date":"2026-05-27T21:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T21:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1353"},"modified":"2026-05-27T21:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T21:05:16","slug":"popular-open-newbury-street-events-will-be-scaled-back-this-summer-mayor-wu-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1353","title":{"rendered":"Popular Open Newbury Street events will be scaled back this summer, Mayor Wu says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After questions began swirling online over whether the city would hold Open Newbury Street again this summer, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu confirmed the popular car-free events are on the agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But they will scaled back this year as the city juggles a host of other celebrations, from World Cup festivities to 250th anniversary events, and the arrival of the Tall Ships, Wu said onSaturday on Reddit. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJune and July are mega-programmed with lots of events already,\u201d she commented amid the speculation. \u201cHosting one Open Streets per month is what\u2019s manageable for city public safety and coordination resources.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The city piloted Open Newbury Street in 2016. That event \u2014 where the tony Back Bay street was blocked off to cars so pedestrians could wander freely among vendors and businesses \u2014 was so successful it continued to grow over the years, and expanded to other neighborhoods in 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, Newbury Street was closed on 10 summer Sundays and once in the winter for a holiday stroll. Open Streets events were also held in the summer and fall in Roxbury, Hyde Park, Dorchester, Mattapan, and Jamaica Plain. <\/span><\/p>\n

Last week, the city announced four Open Streets events planned for this year, starting with Jamaica Plain on Aug. 2, then Mattapan on Sept. 12, Allston\/Brighton on Oct. 4, and Roslindale on Oct. 18. <\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, dates for Open Newbury Street are still being finalized, Wu said on Reddit. <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to some of the larger events on the calendar, Wu said neighborhood block parties will also be held this summer, and that World Cup watch parties will be hosted by small businesses and the city. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wu did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meg Mainzer-Cohen, president of the Back Bay Association, which represents businesses in the neighborhood, said the organization has asked for fewer Open Newbury Street events in the past and continues to be in close communication with city officials about the dates for this year. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Although \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of support\u201d for Open Newbury Street events among retailers and restaurants on the street, Mainzer-Cohen said some have expressed concerns about there being too many in previous years. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some businesses, like hair salons and bakeries, are less dependent on foot traffic, Mainzer-Cohen said. Outside vendors have also set up shop in front of stores before, causing confusion, she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about a balanced approach,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were happy to see some give and take.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston has faced public criticism over its World Cup preparations compared to other cities, such as Philadelphia, where the marketing rollout has been smoothly run and well-funded. Meanwhile, Boston officials are currently locked in a battle with state transportation officials over closing a section of Summer Street to vehicle traffic for all seven local World Cup matches. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wu said the Open Streets series will return to its regular programming next year. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEach year we look at the entire calendar,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce we close the books on FIFA and this big summer of mega events, we\u2019ll be back in 2027 with more of a regular Open Streets schedule (and Open Newbury too)!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Still, her response was met with some pushback online. <\/span><\/p>\n

Echoing complaints dating back to her reelection bid last year that Wu has pulled back on her public transit and safe streets agenda, some bemoaned the lack of communication from her administration about Open Streets. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy hasn\u2019t there been any proactive communication from your office about these street related initiatives? Lately it only seems like you make a statement when there\u2019s enough social media outcry,\u201d one person on Reddit replied to Wu. \u201cI\u2019m seeing cities across the country do way more in terms of street closures and pedestrian plazas. They\u2019re not acting like they\u2019re limited by these big events, they\u2019re going all out because of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cJune and July are mega-programmed with lots of events already,\u201d Wu commented about having fewer pedestrian-friendly events this summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nPopular Open Newbury Street events will be scaled back this summer, Mayor Wu says - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1353\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Popular Open Newbury Street events will be scaled back this summer, Mayor Wu says - 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