On Sunday, August 17, the streets of Los Angeles will come alive in a way that has become both familiar and radical. CicLAvia is returning to the Westside, turning six miles of Venice Boulevard into a car-free corridor where people can walk, bike, skate, roll, and simply be together. The last Westside route in April 2024 was a great success, drawing thousands of Angelenos out of their cars and into the streets. Each time it happens, the message is the same: public space belongs to people.
Since 2010, CicLAvia has transformed the streets of Los Angeles more than 50 times, turning car-filled corridors into vibrant public spaces. Inspired by Bogotá’s weekly Ciclovía, the idea is simple: close the streets to traffic and invite people in. In a city where car culture has drained the life from our streets and kept neighbors apart, CicLAvia brings them back to life for one day with movement, music, and shared experience.
Organizers describe CicLAvia as more than just an event. It is a vision for a healthier and more inclusive Los Angeles. “It’s extremely gratifying when we hear people say, ‘I never knew this was here!’ as they make their way through new neighborhoods,” remarked one CicLAvia staffer. That sense of discovery, of seeing the city through new eyes, is what keeps many people coming back.
The upcoming August route stretches from downtown Culver City to the beach in Venice, passing through Mar Vista and connecting some of the Westside’s most diverse and dynamic communities. Along the way, there will be activity hubs offering food, rest areas, bike support, and family-friendly programming. The event is free, and people can join at any point along the route.
CicLAvia has always been about more than just movement. In a city designed for cars, reclaiming streets allows us to reimagine what community can look and feel like. It offers a rare moment when families, neighbors, and strangers share space without the fear, frustration and violence that comes with traffic. It is also a way to challenge deeply embedded systems that prioritize private vehicles over people, and to show what LA could look like if walking, biking, and transit were truly safe and accessible options.
The benefits of CicLAvia are well documented. Businesses along the route often see higher sales. Local air pollution drops significantly for the day. Participants get more physical activity, and many report using public transit to get there. Crime tends to fall in areas where the event takes place. In short, CicLAvia helps people feel better, breathe easier, and see their city with fresh eyes.
Over the last several weeks, this work has taken on a broader meaning. As a fascist federal agenda tightens its grip, Los Angeles finds itself under siege, with public space transformed into a landscape of surveillance, raids, and fear. In this climate, public space in our city is becoming more contested and events like CicLAvia are not just celebrations, but acts of resistance. Who feels safe outside, and who gets to move freely through the city, are no longer abstract questions.
The return to Venice Boulevard is a reminder that Los Angeles does not have to be defined by gridlock and isolation. For one day, the Westside will feel different. We will come outside to meet one another in our joy and our grief. Anyone can show up. No registration is required. Just bring yourself, your wheels, your friends and your family. Come for a mile or the whole stretch. Take your time, look around, talk to someone you don’t know and check in with your neighbors.