DSA-Managed Public Spaces Buzzing with Fun

Art, games, music and more are elevating downtown parks and public spaces. These activities are part of the DSA/MID’s year-round efforts to create a healthy, vibrant downtown for all. Next time you’re walking around downtown, keep your eyes open for these highlights:

Downtown Summer Sounds

There’s one week left in our 2023 Downtown Summer Sounds concert series, presented by Amazon. This four-decade DSA tradition brings free outdoor summer concerts to downtown workers, residents and visitors. Here’s the lineup for our final week:

• Sept. 5: Black Belt Eagle Scout performs at Occidental Square from noon-1:30 pm.
• Sept. 6 Jarv Dee & Terror/Cactus entertains at The Square at 2+U from noon-1:30 pm.
• Sept. 7: LeRoy Bell & His Only Friends play Westlake Park from noon-1:30 p.m.
• Sept. 8: The season wraps up with the Polyrhythmics at Bell Street Park from 5-6:30 p.m.

New Murals on Pike Street, Third Avenue

There’s big bursts of new color in downtown thanks to DSA/MID commissioned murals. In July, the entrance to Westlake Station between Third and Fourth avenues welcomed a striking new piece by Brian Culpepper, and more installations are going up on Third Avenue and Pike Street through August.

First & Pike Music and Streetscape Improvements

A new pedestrian-friendly section of Pike Street is open as major streetscape improvements along the corridor continue. Come check out the transformation between First and Second avenues — part of the Pike Pine Streetscape & Bicycle Improvements plan — and enjoy buskers Wednesday-Friday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and 1-3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Video Arcade in Occidental Square

Now through Sept. 29, pinball and other video arcade games will be available for free play in the park every Thursday from 1-8 p.m. Tournament play, with cash prizes, takes place from 6-8 p.m.

Subway Cypher in Occidental Square

Artists from Vivid Matter Collective have come together to create Subway Cypher, an immersive and interactive art installation to honor Hip Hop turning 50. Composed of a shipping container and enveloped in a vibrant mural, Subway Cypher is handcrafted by legendary graffiti artist Sneke One. The art is meant to transport viewers to the vibrant streets of New York City, where the rhythmic beats and expressive artistry of hip hop were born in 1973.