Come and experience the inner city as a car-free playground for the day
Main Street Sundays is back on Sunday 9 August, celebrating the people of Jozi, inviting them to join the inner city playground and, more importantly, honouring Johannesburg’s mothers, daughters and sisters on National Women’s Day.
Following the success of the first event in April, which attracted more than 5 000 visitors to the city, Jozi My Jozi’s much-anticipated Main Street Sundays is back! And, with the inner city still buzzing from the inaugural 702 Jozi My Jozi Walk the Talk, which saw 25 000 Joburgers appreciating their city on foot and from a whole new perspective on 26 July, it’s time to walk the streets again.
Come one, come all
“We invite everyone to come out and experience the inner city as a car-free zone for the day on 9 August,” says Dawn Robertson, Visitor and Creative Economy Catalyst at Jozi My Jozi. “It will be a day in which pedestrians, cyclists, prams, wheelchairs and skaters have total right-of-way, making it a safe, open playground for friends and families.
“It’s not a commercial event. It’s a charge-free day and there is no need to rush to get to a stage or a performance: it’s essentially about human connection. Main Street Sundays is a chance to meet Jozi at a chilled, walking pace. Not with one eye over your shoulder or through a window inside your locked car, but slowly and appreciatively as you wander down the street with family, friends and colleagues.”
All the city’s people are invited to come through as Jozi My Jozi and its partners – Young Urbanists, the City of Joburg, Proudly SA and Gautrain – turn Main Street in Marshalltown into a people’s colourful playground once again.
Celebrate connection, sharing and walking
The first Main Street Sundays event celebrated connection, sharing and walking the city. “People played ping pong right in the middle of the street,” wrote journalist Gus Silber. “Kids and grown-ups skateboarded down a ramp. Artists grabbed their brushes and dabbed a circle of bright colours on an intersection. Gone was the chorus of hooting and tooting; in its place, saxophones and trumpets serenaded the walkers who for once walked at their own leisurely pace, taking their time to reclaim the streets of a city that belongs to its foot soldiers too.”
By turning a major business corridor into a massive inner-city living room for a day, the event aims to reshape how locals interact with the city space. And, with a cohort of marshals, volunteers, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), and emergency services, the event also intentionally ensures that everybody feels safe and relaxed in downtown Joburg.
There’ll be pure Jozi vibes all the way down the strip – from 44 Main to Gandhi Square. Dedicated lanes will open exclusively for walking, cycling, roller-skating, skateboarding and pushing prams. There’ll be pop-up markets, live acoustic music, an interactive kids’ play area, street games, a walkable art mile, and a bustling food court located at Gandhi Square, together with a Vintage & Vinyl market for the first time. Talk Radio 702 and VOW88.1 FM (Voice of Wits) will host outside broadcasts during the day to add to the entertainment and keep information flowing.
“It’s an open street vibe so relax, there’s no rush,” says Robertson. “Think of the street as one long delicious fiesta that goes from yoga to hip-hop, skateboarding and cycling to food, design, art and craft.”
Main Street will be divided into different zones including:
- A zen and wellness zone outside 44 Main with its beautiful trees and fountains, featuring all the lovely de-stressing and calming wellness and mind & body stuff. Think yoga, silent book clubs, daydreamers and urban sketchers
- The Jozi My Jozi info zone where friendly people will tell you what you need to know and where you want to go
- An active mobility zone for bikes, trikes, prams, strollers, walkers, skateboarders, roller-skaters and spectators
- A kids’ zone with an array of creative activities including Play Africa’s children’s museum with interactive games, a mock courtroom, and a toddler area
- A walkable art mile, organised with street galleries: enjoy the Homecoming Exhibition at Standard Bank Gallery and a roof-top popup with Asisebenze Gallery atop the Aegis Building on Loveday Street
- A creative Makers’ Market with different makers showcasing their unique designs and original crafts
- A Vintage & Vinyl market, live music and a food court at Ghandi Square, plus restaurants and food trucks offering all sorts of deliciousness along the length of Main Street
Start with the streets
“If we want Jozi to work, we must start with its streets. Because once you change the street, you change the city. And once you change the city, you change the country,” says Roland Postma, managing director of Young Urbanists.
“Main Street Sundays is about restoring Jozi’s soul. When we close the streets to cars and open them to the community – to families, to artists, to cyclists and skaters, to vendors – we remind people that this city is theirs. It always has been. We want everyone who walks down that street on Sunday to feel something shift inside them… to remember why they fell in love with this city in the first place,” says Robertson.
“It is a day for everyone to get out; where parents can bring their children to play in the city, grandparents can walk without fear, and visitors can explore without hesitation. We have created a space where the full spectrum of Johannesburg comes together – not separated by suburb or circumstance, but united by one street, one city, one Sunday. Come and feel what this city is truly capable of becoming when we all celebrate it together.”
What you need to know
Safe parking is available at nearby garages such as Standard Bank on Frederick Street. Alternatively, you can ride the Gautrain from any station (parking at just R1.00) to Park Station and use its free midibus shuttle service to Main Street, and to return home later in the day.
What about making it a family day out to celebrate the women in your life? Enjoy the city atop a double-decker bus with the City Sightseeing Red Bus from Rosebank – hop off near Main Street and hop on back to Rosebank once you’ve enjoyed all the sights, sounds and tastes of the day. This is a safe, fun and fuss-free way to celebrate mothers, gogos, sisters, aunts and daughters, and of course, Main Street Sundays!
Attending the day is free, but everyone is encouraged to register here so Jozi My Jozi can track numbers to ensure the best experience for everyone. More information can be found on the Jozi My Jozi website.
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Author: Janet de Kretser from Jozi My Jozi on behalf of Jozi My Jozi.
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