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The idea behind Main St Sundays
Taking inspiration from Cape Town’s Bree St Sundays, the concept was first tested through Young Urbanists’ collaboration with the City of Cape Town and the Mayor’s Office to close Bree Street every Sunday as an open street experiment. No special events permits, no commercial exclusivity – just a street cleared of cars and opened up to whatever the community brought to it.The results were striking. Businesses along the corridor reported roughly 20% higher turnover on open street days, and public support quickly grew around the idea that streets could function differently. In Johannesburg, the intention was never to replicate Cape Town, but to test what happens when a similar idea meets a very different city.
A collective city effort
Main St Sundays made that question tangible. Led by Jozi My Jozi alongside the City of Johannesburg and Young Urbanists, the event was powered by a wide network of collaborators, volunteers, creatives and civic partners – many visible in Jozi My Jozi’s shirts and bibs, moving through the street all day to keep it alive and functioning. It was less a programmed festival than a co-ordinated ecosystem – a reminder of how many people it takes to temporarily remake a city street.Along the route, businesses like Sadie's Bistro fed the crowds, and installations, graffiti, photography and art interventions from Ntsikelelo Mzibomvu Art Studio, Spaza Art Gallery and FEDE Arthouse created a zone that was impossible to walk through without stopping. Standard Bank Gallery and Asisebenze Art Gallery extended the creative footprint, while Yoga With Drake, Bridge Books, Jozi Silent Book Club, Skateistan and Banditz Bicycle Club added layers of movement, rest and participation.
The inaugural experience
From early-morning runs and yoga sessions to skating, cycling and quiet reading corners, the street was filled with crowds from the start. Families gravitated to playful kids’ activities, creatives explored art and design pop-ups, and markets had us feeling like kids again at a school fair – giddy, wide eyed and happily bouncing between experiences. Curious wanderers moved through games, workshops and community activations. Live music kept the energy flowing, while food spots and gathering spaces encouraged people to slow down, mingle and stay a while.Main St Sundays also shifted perceptions around inner-city safety. Often framed as a barrier, it felt less present on the day – the street was active, welcoming and well managed, at times more so than comparable events in Rosebank or Sandton. People of all ages shared the space freely, reading, dancing and moving through it with ease.
Why it matters
Main St Sundays reflects what Johannesburg has always done best: finding ways to make something from nothing, and reimagining a city shaped by mining and commercial priorities into something more liveable. As the city grapples with infrastructure decay and shrinking public space, the initiative raises a simple question: what if fixing our streets is as much about imagination as maintenance? When streets prioritise people over cars, they start to function differently – as parks, galleries, playgrounds and markets – and the city responds in kind, with more time spent in the inner city and stronger local economies.The future of Main St Sundays
This is not a once-off experiment. Main St Sundays is planned as a recurring monthly fixture, with more editions in the pipeline. For updates on upcoming events, follow @jozi_my_jozi and @johannesburginyourpocket on Instagram.Enjoy some of our favourite moments from a Sunday that offered a glimpse of what Johannesburg’s streets can become.
In photos: The inaugural Main St Sundays in Johannesburg
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