Open Streets Bucharest: pedestrian weekend Apr 25–26

Bucharest is turning two central streets into car-free promenades this weekend, opening the 2026 “Open Streets” season on April 25 and 26. (arcub.ro) The program runs for 25 weekends, from April 25 to October 11, and this year adds Ion Brezoianu Street to the usual pedestrian route on Calea Victoriei. (arcub.ro; romania-insider.com) On Saturdays and Sundays, Calea Victoriei will be pedestrianized between Dacia Boulevard and Splaiul Independenței, while Ion Brezoianu will close between Lipscani Street and Valter Mărăcineanu Street, with the car-free area extending along Valter Mărăcineanu to Calea Victoriei. The closures are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with traffic resuming overnight from 11:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. (arcub.ro; romania-insider.com) The opening weekend is built around “The City Built Together,” with discussions on urban planning and community participation, plus exhibitions and guided tours. Organizers also list concerts, theater and dance performances, parades, children’s workshops, sports activities, and public debates across the season. (romania-insider.com; arcub.ro) The event has become a recurring spring-to-fall fixture in Bucharest since its launch in 2022, and ARCUB says the 2026 edition is the sixth. The city says the project is one of Bucharest’s largest cultural programs and expects more than one million visitors this year. (arcub.ro; romania-insider.com) The format is simple: close major streets to cars for part of the weekend and fill them with public programming instead. ARCUB says the project has expanded beyond Calea Victoriei toward neighborhood spaces and is meant to make central Bucharest easier to use for walking, culture, and public gatherings. (arcub.ro; arcub.ro) Some intersections will remain open to cross traffic, including crossings on Calea Victoriei at Știrbei Vodă, C.A. Rosetti, Dem I. Dobrescu, Ion Câmpineanu, and Regina Elisabeta. On Ion Brezoianu, cars will still be allowed through at Domnița Anastasia, Regina Elisabeta, and Valter Mărăcineanu intersections. (romania-insider.com) Bike lanes on the pedestrianized streets will be temporarily suspended during the event hours, according to ARCUB. Full weekend calendars and activity schedules are to be posted on the ARCUB and PROEDUS websites as the season unfolds. (arcub.ro) For Bucharest residents, the immediate change starts Friday, April 25: leave the car off the route, and the city center shifts to walking, talks, and street events through Sunday night. (arcub.ro; romania-insider.com)