Park(ing) Day
Celebrate Park(ing) Day 2022 with the Denver Streets Partnership, Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and Downtown Denver Partnership on Friday, September 16!
What is Park(ing) Day?
Park(ing) Day is an annual event that repurposes curbside parking spaces into spaces for people, known as parklets. Since the first temporary parklet was set up in San Francisco in 2005, Park(ing) Day has been celebrated all over the world as designers, students, artists, and community members reimagine public streets into vibrant, people-friendly spaces.
Denver Streets Partnership (DSP) is collaborating with Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP), and Denver Community Active Living Coalition (CALC) a program of Department of Transportation and Infrastructure on Friday, September 16th to host community-designed parklets at three locations in downtown Denver: Market Street (between 15th & 16th), Glenarm Place (Between 16th & 17th), and Court Place (between 14th & 15th).
Map of Park(ing) Day locations
This year, community members can compete in a parklet design contest with prizes awarded in different categories based on the Outdoor Downtown plan: a social, recreational, connected, cultural, and sustainable downtown, as well as a People’s Choice award.
Parklet Guidelines
How can I participate?
Host your own parklet!
If you’re interested in setting up a parklet downtown, register here. If you do not have a gmail account to fill out this form, please contact Tanniqua-Kay Buchanan at Tanniqua-Kay@denverstreetspartnership.org. Once you are registered, you will be assigned a spot. We will need the following information by midnight on Friday, August 26:
- How many spaces will you need? (Spaces are typically 8 feet wide by 20 feet long.)
- Your preferred location – Market Street, Glenarm Street, or Court Street. We can’t promise that you’ll get a spot in your preferred location, but we’ll do our best to accommodate requests!
- A description of and site plan for your parklet, including materials, activities, etc.
Example Site Plan
Parklet Design Categories
A social, recreational, connected, cultural, and sustainable downtown.
Most Welcoming Parklet (A Social Downtown)
Family-friendly parklet that makes people want to linger
Best Interactive Games (A Recreational Downtown)
A multi-generational, inclusive parklet for active living. Please note, no furniture or activities will be permitted that have moving objects or balls that could fall into the roadway (i.e., ping pong tables, basketball, etc.).
Best Connected Parklet (A Connected Downtown)
A parklet that focuses on effective engagement, innovation, and “neighbor” connections
Must be mobility focused
Most Artistic (A Cultural Downtown)
A parklet that includes arts and connects with the identity/heritage of the community
Represent your community—make it unique, show us where you are and where you’re coming from
Most Lush Greenery (A Sustainable Downtown)
A parklet that promotes/shows “Green streets” and vegetation
Green infrastructure that is resilient and eco-friendly
People’s Choice
Volunteer Opportunity
Another way you can participate in Park(ing) Day is by volunteering! A typical volunteer shift for Park(ing) Day is three hours long with tasks like:
- Assisting with setting up parklets
- Managing water stations
- Managing bike parking
- Assisting with parklet tear down
- Surveying participants
- Collecting and counting tickets for contest votes
- Miscellaneous
If you are interested in volunteering, sign up here!
Need inspiration for your parklet? Here are some ideas!
Public park | Swing park | Free head & neck massages | Pop-up recycling center | Productive landscape | Pedal-powered smoothies
Outdoor office | Solar panel demonstration | Ecology center | Free health care center | Art gallery | Outdoor classroom
Painting studio | Paint-by-number mural | Compost demonstration | Watering station | Interactive sculpture
Free bicycle repair demo | Bicycle and scooter parking | Lawn games | Free yoga | Pop-up library
Parklet Resources
Parklet Resources
Check out some resources for creating your own parklet:
Interested in getting funding for your parklet?
Denver Streets Partnership, in collaboration with Denver Community Active Living Coalition (CALC), Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI), and the Trust for Public Land (TPL) is offering micro-grants for individuals interested in participating in Park(ing) Day. It is a competitive grant and applicants can only apply for $400 as funding is limited. Please apply by August 26, 2022 to be considered for the micro-grant. Apply here.
The Outer Space Afterparty
We will be hosting an afterparty at The Outer Space located at: 601-649 16th St. Mall. Join us from 4:30-6:30 p.m.!
Got questions?
For more information, please contact Tanniqua-Kay Buchanan at Tanniqua-Kay@denverstreetspartnership.org.