D.C. will only host two Open Streets festivals this year, a reduction from the six events hosted across the city last year. The District Department of Transportation cited budget constraints.

On June 4, 12th Street NE will close from Franklin Street to Michigan Avenue in Brookland for residents to bike, walk, skate, and play in what would normally be a vehicle-filled roadway.

The second event will take place on Oct. 7, along Georgia Avenue, the original corridor when the event first launched in 2019. DDOT officials did not specify what the exact route would be, but in past years it’s taken place between Barry Place and Missouri Avenue. Both festivals will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Open Streets, which started in 2019, paused for the pandemic, but continued in 2021 and 2022 is a festival meant to repurpose the street for recreation. The event typically includes workout classes, educational booths, dancing, music, and art. The concept originated in Bogota, Colombia, in 1976 and has become popular in U.S. cities, especially during the pandemic.

“We are thrilled to come back to 12th Street for this year’s inaugural event, as it was the highest rated of the six Open Streets events we held in 2022,” DDOT Director Everet Lott said in a press release Friday. “Thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s support, we’re able to highlight so many alternative modes of transportation while offering loads of fun for the entire family, and also providing a huge draw for the mixed-use corridor, as many attendees get to experience area businesses for the first time.”

Last year, the city expanded the Open Streets concept to include six different events across the city of varying sizes — including the first event in Anacostia. Bowser had put $1.8 million in her budget to put one of the festivals in each ward.

This year, though, officials said the smaller number of events is due to budget constraints. The events can be logistically complex and pricey: larger events can cost nearly $700,000 to close roads, staff the event, and clean up, according to DDOT budget oversight hearing notes from 2022.

Ward 6 Councilmember and chair of the Transportation Committee Charles Allen said the cuts to the Open Streets program reflect a broader problem with the transportation allocations in Bowser’s 2023 proposed budget.

“It feels like a step back again,” Allen said in an interview Friday. “Everything from reducing the number of Open Streets, the proposed budget slashes crossing guards like school crossing guards. Why would we remove those?”

Several residents expressed their disappointment with the fewer number of events. They suggested cutting costs by using permanent retractable barriers, concrete barriers, or cones to close off intersections instead of staffing each with police and police vehicles, which accounts for up to half of the budget for the events.

Jordan Pascale contributed reporting.