Brixton street transforms into a playground for community connection
Residents swapped traffic for togetherness as Putney Road was transformed into a community space for Brixton's second annual open streets event.
Cars made way for community, as Brixton residents gathered on Putney Road for the suburb’s second annual open streets event on June 16.
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Hosted by the Brixton community committee, the event transformed a section of the road into a vibrant, people-friendly space, filled with bicycles, scooters, games, craft activities, and conversation. The initiative was held simultaneously with a similar event in Mowbray, Cape Town, strengthening ties between two community-minded neighbourhoods connected by former residents and a shared belief in the value of public space.
“We’ve closed the street for cars and opened it for people,” said organiser Ann Simmons.
Children rode bicycles, played homemade games, and gathered around chess and mancala boards, while others joined community crochet and sewing projects destined for future public space installations. For Simmons, the event was about more than fun and games. Held on Youth Day, it also provided an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of June 16, and the challenges young people continue to face today. “These open streets events have always had a focus on children. We want them to feel like citizens, to take ownership of public space, connect with their neighbours, and feel free.” She noted that many children no longer experience the freedom to play safely in the streets, as communities increasingly retreat behind walls and gates.
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Throughout the day, organisers actively encouraged passers-by to join in, hoping to reinforce the message that the event belonged to everyone. “Community is built in those unplanned moments. When neighbours bump into each other and start a conversation, that’s where real connections happen.”
The event also formed part of the broader open streets movement, which encourages people to rethink how public spaces are used. “The city is built for people. We give so much of our best space to cars. Events like this remind us that these spaces can also be places where people gather, interact, and build community.”
As children learned to ride bicycles and neighbours reconnected under strings of colourful Brixton bunting, Putney Road became more than a street for a few hours; it became a shared community living room.
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