Greenwood-Phinney Avenue shuts down to cars and opens up to pedestrians for Friday night’s annual Summer Streets

Friday night is one of the biggest events of the year for Phinney Ridge and Greenwood as Seattle Department of Transportation closes down Greenwood-Phinney Avenue to cars from North 65th to North 87th streets so pedestrians can take over for the annual Summer Streets event.
Businesses all along that stretch will offer special activities, music and art (it coincides with the monthly Art Up Artwalk on the second Friday of every month). Summer Streets runs from 6-9:30 p.m., but streets will begin closing before that and may take a little while to open back up afterwards.
Check out the PhinneyWood Summer Streets website for a list and map of activities. Here are a few highlights:
You can play chess, hula hoop, chat with a Seattle Police officer and get help with helmet fittings; new business Gilley & Oil Family Cyclery is offering bike rides; American Dance Institute will have dancing in the street; the Bubbleman will show off in front of Metropolis; Versatile Arts will show off their cirque skills; A-1 Pianos will once again have several pianos in the street for anyone to play; and there will be plenty of crafts and family activities.

826 Seattle, 8414 Greenwood Ave. N., is hosting the UW Portable Planetarium (it’s inflatable and functions just like a full-sized planetarium). Pick up a free ticket at the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. (same address as 826 Seattle) now for a 15-minute tour that will let you “Fly deep into outer space, explore new worlds, and marvel at nebula, quasars, and funny shaped galaxies.” Tours start at 6 p.m. Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Bring a canned food donation for the Volunteers of America Greenwood Food Bank and they’ll build a pyramid out of all the donations in Ken’s Market parking lot at North 73rd Street and Greenwood Avenue North.
Naked City Brewery & Taphouse is hosting its second annual Greenwood Street Soccer Tournament to benefit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The pre-tournament fundraising party starts at 7 p.m. Friday, and the tournament is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, on Greenwood Avenue between North 85th and 87th streets. More than 30 teams and 200 players are expected to compete in three co-ed divisions: Fun, Competitive, and Pro.

As we mentioned, the monthly Art Up Artwalk is also Friday night, with dozens of art galleries and other businesses hosting artists in all mediums. Check out “Between Two Worlds, Fire Walk With Me,” the Twin Peaks-themed show at Echo Echo Gallery at Urban Light Studios at 8537 Greenwood Ave. N.; Bherd Studios Gallery will be mural painting at 85th and Greenwood; In the Red Wine Bar is hosting photographer Doug Plummer and his panoramic shots of Ireland; and Tasty art gallery at 7513 Greenwood Avenue is once again hosting an open-air arts and crafts market.
During Summer Streets you can also experience a “pop-up” greenway, as Greenwood Phinney Greenways shows what a greenway could look like on 1st Avenue NW. Greenways help slow down traffic and make it safer for bikers and pedestrians. The pop-up greenway will be in place through Aug. 30.