As part of City and stakeholder efforts to improve public space management and placemaking downtown, a collaboration between the City, Wall Street merchants and Asheville Downtown Association called Walkable Wall Street launches on Nov. 19, the same day as the Asheville Holiday Parade. Walkable Wall Street incorporates a temporary closure to cars along the corridor while promoting a festive pedestrian experience.
Immediately following the Holiday Parade, Santa Claus will ride through Wall Street to arrive at the Grove Arcade, where he will welcome visitors and pose for photos until 4 p.m.
Wall Street will remain closed to vehicles and open for festivities and shopping through 9 p.m. Businesses will offer extended hours and family friendly activities in the street and in stores, including gift basket building, leather cuff making, holiday ornament decorating, a scavenger hunt, live music and special promotions.
Related events
In addition to Walkable Wall Street, these holiday events are also happening downtown on Nov. 19:
Asheville Holiday Parade (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
Santa at the Grove Arcade (2 – 4 p.m.)
Winter Lights Downtown holiday lighting (6 p.m.)
Also, here is another reminder that for the second year, transportation to downtown on parade day can be free! The City’s Art bus system is offering 99 free bus tickets to be used on Nov. 19. You can pick them up in City Hall, at the Water Department payment window just off the lobby. This is a limited time offer, while supplies last.
More Walkable Wall Streets in store
A series of Walkable Wall Street events are planned to take place four times during the course of a year. These events will celebrate Wall Street as a pedestrian-friendly corridor while supporting local Wall Street businesses and providing a safe, enjoyable community-oriented experience downtown. The series will serve as a pilot for consideration of regular and more frequent (though temporary) closures of streets to car traffic.
In addition to Nov. 19, Walkable Wall Street events are planned on the following Saturdays:
- Saturday, February 11 (Valentine’s Day theme)
- Saturday, May 13 (Mother’s Day theme)
- Saturday, August 12 (Summer theme)
For more information, contact Asheville Downtown Development Specialist Dana Frankel at 828-251-4051 or dfrankel@ashevillenc.gov.
Related coverage:
Asheville Holiday Parade: Cool tie-ins and need-to-know information
