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Enjoy Our 'Open Streets' Events This Summer

Five Open Streets events will be taking place this summer where the public are encouraged to come to leave their car at home – and visit Cork city on foot, bike or by public transport.

The next ‘Open Street’ events are:

  • Sunday June 16 - Cork Midsummer Festival Parade on Oliver Plunkett Street along with a performance form street art group Kamchatka
  • Saturday August 24 – North Main Street Carnival
  • Sunday September 1 – Autumnfest - Douglas Street
  • Friday September 20 – Culture Night – Cornmarket Street and North Main Street

Open Streets is organised by Cork City Council in association with Cork Chamber, Cork Business Association, Cork Environmental Forum, Transport & Mobility Forum, Cork Cycling Group, Bus Éireann, Irish Rail, and An Garda Síochána.

The first Open Streets took place on Sunday May 19 on Cornmarket Street, North Main Street and St. Patrick’s Street with a performance by big brass and percussion band Boola Boom. Cornmarket Street transformed into a dance floor where you could travel the world in 80 dances and learn international dances from céilí to kizomba, break dancing to belly dancing.

Open Streets organisers welcome suggestions from other groups in the city and its suburbs who wish to host similar events in their communities.

Cork City Council is also encouraging people to use city centre spaces on a day-to-day basis for recreational and leisure activities. A brochure has been developed which maps pockets of space in the city centre which can be enjoyed by everyone, and this brochure can be found on the Cork City Council website – Cork City Centre Spaces.

The “Open Streets” series follows research, commissioned by Cork City Council's Climate Action Unit, that revealed 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in Cork City are caused by road transport.

A further study revealed that 64% of Cork people strongly agree "Cork must transform into a more sustainable place to live and work that is climate neutral and resilient’ and that 86% of Cork people want more pedestrianized streets.

Further research, as presented by the National Transport Authority/Sustrans Cork Metropolitan Area Walking & Cycling Index, showed that 80% of Cork inhabitants agree that increasing space for residents socialising, walking, wheeling, and cycling on their local main street would improve their local area.

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