Last year’s festivities were forced to take an alternate route. Photo by Elvert Barnes.

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office announced today that the city will close the main stretch of U Street for the second annual Funk Parade on May 2nd.

This will be the first time in 17 years that the city has allowed the closure of U Street. Historic events where the thoroughfare was closed include Mayor Marion Barry’s 1979 inauguration and a demonstration for home rule in 1964 that was lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The closure comes after a community petition was circulated earlier this year. The plan won support from city Council members, the local ANC, and nearby businesses.

Bowser eventually agreed, saying: “The U Street Funk Parade embodies the spirit of the District. It brings our communities together and honors the city’s cultural heritage that we’ve all come to know and love.”

In addition to the parade, revelers can look forward to a daytime fair, a nighttime music mini-festival, and after parties.

The Funk Parade team is still fundraising—they’ve got a week left in their campaign and still a ways to go to meet their $15,000 goal.

Meanwhile, the official 2015 Funk Parade poster, designed by local artist Donald Ely, has also arrived.