Switch: Open Streets Sunday will have you dancing for joy

On June 7 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. there will be dancing in the streets of Dartmouth.

The event is called Switch: Open Streets Sunday.

A two kilometre route in the downtown will be closed to traffic and open to walkers, runners, bikers, in-line skaters, strollers and dancers.

This event was inspired by the growing number of successful “open street” type events hosted in cities across the world, and is all about promoting healthy and active living, in a fun and festive community-based atmosphere.

“Everyone should attend Switch because there is something for everyone, family entertainment, music and the multicultural street party. It is a fun afternoon to get out and get active in your community,” said Steve Kimball, chair of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission.

This is the third year Open Streets Sundays has been held in Dartmouth.

Last year an estimated 2,500 attended.

This year they hope to match or break that record.

“For people and businesses, Switch: Open Streets Sundays builds community and brings 2,000-plus people out on a Sunday afternoon to experience all the new and old businesses that we have downtown.”

The Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia will be hosting a street party on Portland Street. There will be lots of food, music, dancing and activities from countries all over the world.

Businesses on Portland will be opening their doors and becoming a part of the celebration. The Dartmouth Makers, a group of artisans and craftmakers will be featuring 12 local makers and artists at the Dartmouth Makers Pop-Up Street Market, which is taking place at the intersection of Portland Street and Prince Albert Road.

Along Prince Albert, there will also be children’s yoga, a pop-up tennis court, a mobile skatepark and a live dance demonstration. Local food vendors like Lemon Dogs, Nomad Gourmet and Old School Donuts will be joining in on the fun.

The event is important for Dartmouth because it gives residents an opportunity to explore their community in a new and active way. Because people are not using cars as transportation, they are able to engage with the neighbourhood easily,” said Sarah Ravlic, director of operations for the Planning and Design Center. “This means that local businesses and those who are helping to activate the route gain more exposure and are able to interact with more people.”

The Dartmouth Switch event was spearheaded by the Planning and Design Centre.

This year, Switch was organized with help from the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, the Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia, Halifax Bike Week and the Dartmouth Makers.

Ravlic said the Dartmouth Switch is unique because even though it basically takes place on one street, the whole community comes together for the event.

“Businesses and community groups from outside of the neighbourhood can participate and are able to engage with people from all over the municipality. The route itself is very diverse. While the Portland Street portion is largely businesses, Prince Albert Road provides access to Sullivan’s Pond and Lake Banook, offering people a change of scenery.”

Switch is not about street closures, but is about switching the way you think about your streets, your communities and your city.

The Planning and Design Centre have long-term goals associated with the Open Switch Sundays.

They want to enable people to explore alternative modes of transportation in comfort and safety, demonstrate a long-term vision for an active transportation network, demonstrate the benefits of making room for other transportation modes to merchants, residents and decision makers, make physical activity enjoyable and give people a sense of freedom, reimagine how public spaces and streets can be used to promote safe and healthy communities, enable and encourage different groups to explore new parts of the city in new ways and engage communities and neighborhoods to take greater ownership of how their street and spaces are used.