Media Advisory - Open Streets TO Takes Over Yonge and Bloor Again this Sunday

TORONTO, Aug. 29, 2014 /CNW/ - This Sunday Open Streets TO organizers are looking to build on the success of the first installment of Toronto's largest free outdoor recreation event.

More than 20,000 participants took part in the inaugural Open Streets TO event on August 17, 2014, and the hashtag #OpenStreetsTO was trending on Twitter in Toronto for more than three hours. Torontonians were eager to share their experiences, posting more than 300 photos to Instagram.

The second (and final) Open Streets TO event in 2014 will take place this Sunday, August 31, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and will run along Bloor Street from Spadina to Parliament, and along Yonge Street from Bloor to Queen. Spokespeople will be available for interviews.

When:	Sunday, August 31, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. EST
Where:	The corner of Yonge and Bloor
Who:	Emily Munroe, Co-Chair, Open Streets TO
	Kristyn Wong-Tam, Toronto City Councillor

More than 30 free activities will take place at six hubs led by local businesses and organizations such as Holt Renfrew, Downtown Yonge BIA, the Royal Ontario Museum and St. James Town Arts.

Participants will enjoy an enhanced user experience by utilizing the new Open Streets TO interactive guide for web and mobile, courtesy of GrandezVous, accessible at guide.openstreetsto.ca.

New additions this Sunday will include:

• A chalk art installation of the Open Streets TO logo (10 metre diameter) by local artist Olga Kouptchinski, on the road, in the intersection at Yonge and Bloor.
• The Open Streets TO "End 2 End Challenge" – calling on participants to travel the entire route for a chance to win tickets to a Toronto Raptors game, a Toronto FC game or the Leafs Nation "Fan Fest".
• Crowdsourced mural painting through ideas from Open Streets TO participants through the STEPS Initiative, which uses art to connect people to public spaces in Toronto, in partnership with the Downtown Yonge BIA, at Yonge and Shuter.

For more information visit http://www.openstreetsto.org/.

SOURCE: Open Streets Toronto

Media contact: David Simor, [email protected], 416-937-8072