Open Streets festivals are back in 2022, kicking off with a smaller event in Anacostia in May and a longer stretch of road closing in Shaw in June.

The concept — first introduced to the District on Georgia Avenue in 2019 and repeated in 2021 — is to close the street to vehicles and attract people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the space with a festival-like atmosphere. Activities include workout classes, educational booths, jump roping, music, and art. It also allows space for people to walk, bike, and play in the street without fear of traffic. D.C. officials estimate that 20,000 people attended the latest event.

The Anacostia event will take place on May 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s the first of several smaller Open Streets events across all eight wards. Mayor Muriel Bowser included $1.8 million in her budget to bring the events to each ward.

It will run along a five-block stretch of Martin Luther King Ave. SE between Good Hope Road and Morris Street. The District Department of Transportation will host a pop-up bike lane nearby as well.

It’s the same area where another street festival, Unifest, ended in a tragedy 15 years ago. A 30-year-old woman who was high on crack cocaine drove into dozens of attendees, injuring at least 40, including seven children. Authorities at the time said they couldn’t recall a pedestrian incident with a larger number of injuries.

In prior years, public works and police vehicles blocked off every intersection of the Open Streets event. The District Department of Transportation confirms that will be set up for this event, too.

“DDOT prioritizes safety above all else during any event we host across the city,” DDOT spokesperson German Vigil said in an emailed statement. “When hosting the Open Streets events, we work with our partner agencies such as MPD, HSEMA, Fire and EMS, and DPW to ensure that District residents are safe and are able to walk, bike, run, and scooter through, with opportunities to support local businesses and participate in a range of activities.”

DDOT did not respond to other questions, including whether MLK Avenue has been closed for events since the 2007 incident and how the community has responded so far. A community meeting was held on Monday and a meeting for business along the stretch is scheduled for next Tuesday.

In prior years, some attendees thought bringing in heavy vehicles to block the road was too much and that a simple road-closed barrier would do the job.

The June 4th Open Streets in Shaw will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 1.5-mile route will stretch from Florida Avenue in Shaw down through Mount Vernon Square, Chinatown, and Penn Quarter to Pennsylvania Avenue downtown. The event was originally planned to stretch all the way down to the Wharf but has since been shortened.

The Open Streets concept originated in Bogota, Colombia in 1976, but has become more popular in the U.S. in recent years. Several pop-up open streets-like events occurred during the pandemic when distancing was encouraged and open space at a premium in big cities.