Main St Sundays is an invitation to step into a version of Joburg that often gets overlooked among the headlines of urban decay and municipal mismanagement, one that is creative, communal and stubbornly resilient. At the inaugural event, a stretch of Main Street in Joburg's inner city will be closed off to cars and opened to people. The reclaimed stretch of tarmac will become abuzz with activations of all kinds: art, skateboarding, live music, a market, urban gardening, kids activities and plenty more. An opportunity to highlight what is already present in the city, as well as the potential of what the city can become.Â
A city reclaiming its most valuable asset
This is not a festival in the conventional sense, it is a civic experiment. An open-street event organised by Jozi My Jozi, City of Johannesburg and Young Urbanists, the idea is deceptively simple: close a street to private vehicles for a day, fill it with life, and prove that our streets are worth more than the cars parked on them.
What if fixing Joburg's streets isn't just about maintenance, but imagination?
The timing is deliberate. Johannesburg is at a crossroads. The city is grappling with infrastructure decay, shrinking public space and a public conversation that too often starts and ends at potholes. But the people behind Main St Sundays are asking a bigger question: what if fixing our streets isn't just about maintenance, but imagination? What if the street itself could be a park, a gallery, a playground, a meeting room, a skate park and a farmers' market all at once?
Globally, the evidence has long supported this. From Bogotá to Barcelona to Paris, cities that have invested in people-first streets have seen retail turnover rise, property values improve and communities strengthen. The research is consistent, and as the title of American-Canadian journalist and urbanist Jane Jacobs' landmark essay says: Downtown is for People. And South Africa's own data backs this up. When streets prioritise pedestrians and active mobility, footfall increases, dwell times lengthen and local economies respond.
This is not a festival in the conventional sense, it is a civic experiment.
At its core, this event is Joburg and its residents doing what they have always done – finding a way, making something from nothing, showing up and making a city that was built for crass commercial interests liveable.Â
On Sun, Apr 12, 2026, the inaugural edition of Main St Sundays transformed Main Street. Over 5,000 people attended, more than 800,000 social media views were recorded across pre- and post-event coverage, and upwards of 70 activations took place within the Main St Sundays area. Though important, the numbers don't do justice to how wonderfully Joburg turns up for a good cause.Â
The blueprint that started it
The spark for Main St Sundays was lit in Cape Town when Young Urbanists partnered with the City and the Mayor's Office to close Bree Street, a major artery through the city, every Sunday as a recurring open-street experiment. No special events permits or commercial sponsors requiring exclusivity, just a street cleared of cars and opened up to whatever the community brought to it. The results were striking: businesses in the corridor reported roughly 20% higher turnover on open-street days, and the activation built a groundswell of public support for rethinking how the city uses its roads.Â
It wasn't the first time the idea had been experimented with in South Africa. Years earlier, the Johannesburg Development Agency, alongside Local Studio and other city departments, piloted the country's very first street experiment on Joubert Street in the inner city. And more recently, the upgrade of Lilian Ngoyi Street demonstrated what the city's own Complete Streets Framework looks like in practice as the road was redesigned into a human-scaled corridor with wider pavements, better public transport access and genuine space for pedestrians and traders.
Main St Sundays draws directly from all of this. It follows the Bree St Sundays model of being community led with low barriers to entry, but grounds it in Johannesburg's own context, history and energy. The intention was never to replicate Cape Town, but to test what happens when a similar idea meets a very different city.
7 things to expect at Main St Sundays in Joburg
On Sun, Jun 21, 2026, Main Street will be organised into different zones along the closed street, each reflecting a different dimension of what a city street can be when it belongs to its people.
1. MIND AND BODY
For those who want to slow down amid the buzz, the Mind and Body zone will bring yoga, meditation, books and reading events together for enjoying the day in stillness.Â
2. JOZI MY JOZI
Consider this the civic centre of the day and where you can find out more about various urban initiatives that are shaping the city. The Jozi My Jozi Zone houses the event's information point – your first stop if you're arriving and want to get your bearings, find out what's on where, or learn more about the organisations behind Main Street Sundays. Beyond the practical, this zone is also a window into what's happening across the city: urban development initiatives, placemaking projects and the broader vision for Johannesburg's public spaces are all on display here. It's where the street experiment meets the bigger picture, and where you can find out how to get involved beyond showing up on a Sunday.Â
3. ACTIVE MOBILITY
Here, the street becomes a track, a rink and a velodrome all at once, and is the most visceral marker that Main Street doesn't need cars to be full of life. Skateistan runs a beginner skate clinic (helmets and gear provided) alongside an open skate session with portable ramps for more experienced riders.Â
4. RECLAIM THE BAYÂ
Ever looked at a dormant parking space and wondered what it could become? For this edition, NGOs, schools, creatives, small businesses and bold residents with big ideas (and small budgets) are invited to reimagine a 2.5m x 5.0m parking bay into a people-first space – think reading corners, micro-gardens, street games, mini galleries, or quiet urban nooks. Find out more here.Â
5. KIDS
One of the biggest and most lovingly put-together zones of the day, the Kids Zone is designed to make Main Street feel like it was built for children. You can either stay and partake in the activities with your kids, or drop them off. There are plenty of marshals as well as wristbands for the kids to make sure that you can explore the street with the peace of mind that the little ones are safe. Play Africa will once again bring its kids museum activities to Main Street Sundays – it was a huge success at the first event!
6. GAMESÂ
The Games Zone will ensure that grown-ups can have just as much fun as the kids with indigenous games, ping pong, pool, volleyball, and we're sure some unexpected surprises too. There'll be an interactive games space for adults, with digital and physical games on a rolling basis throughout the day.
7. ART AND DESIGN
The largest and most sprawling zone, and arguably the heart of the event's creative energy, the Art and Design Zone will include a Makers' Market where you can buy from local designers and aritsts, as well as a ridiculous array of pop-ups, exhibitions and workshops. For this edition, there will be a Vintage and Vinyl Market where you can find records, throwback fashion, collectables, art and all things old-school cool. We look forward to seeing what Vintage with Love brings!Â
On the gallery front, there's a choice of either going to Asisebenze Art Gallery on Loveday St or to Standard Bank Art Gallery at 44 Frederick St. The walks to and from Main Street are continuously guided. Standard Bank Gallery will also be open for another opportunity to view its amazing Homecoming exhibition.
Plan your visitÂ
Main St Sundays is free and open to all, just RSVP here. On the food and drink front, you're well catered for. Sadie's Bistro will be operating on the day, and restaurants and eateries along Main Street, including Nando's, will also be open, so there's no shortage of places to stop, sit and watch the street do its thing. A new addition this time round will be a selection of curated food trucks parked along Marshall Street and other side streets, offering a selection of delicious vegan and healthy offerings, plus hot drinks to keep the winter chill at bay.Â
At the eastern end, Gandhi Square will also be activated as part of the day, giving the event real scale and a natural gathering point to head to as you work your way along the street.Â
And while parking is available on the day, we highly recommend making use of Gautrain services by hopping onto a complimentary Gaubus from Park Station Gautrain that will take you directly to Main Street on the day.Â
Main St Sundays: Location, hours and details
Where: Main Street, MarshalltownWhen: Sun, Jun 21, 2026 from 10:00 – 17:00
Parking: Standard Bank Parking, Frederick Street, Marshalltown. There’ll be signage and ushers from there on.
Free entry, RSVP here.
For more information in the lead-up to Main St Sundays, follow Jozi My Jozi and Young Urbanists on Instagram.
