Over two months after the city announced the end of its temporary Shared Streets program, one neighborhood is holding a community music festival to advocate for keeping its former Shared Street.

Denver Streets Partnership is throwing the “Porch Music Fest” on Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. on East 16th Avenue from Gaylord Street to Humboldt Street. The celebration will include local musicians performing live on 12 porches along the street.

“Community members are asked to come walk, roll and bike along the corridor and enjoy the free entertainment, while demonstrating their support for permanently maintaining 16th Avenue as a people-first street,” the announcement said.

East 16th Avenue from Pennsylvania Street to City Park Esplanade was one of seven roadways in the Shared Streets program, launched in April 2020 to give residents more space for outdoor recreation while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shared Streets are closed to through traffic and provide space to walk and bike, while still allowing residents and visitors to drive and park on the streets. The city began removing Shared Street signage and asking residents to go back to walking on the sidewalk on Aug. 16.

“With restrictions around public gatherings lifted, more indoor and outdoor recreational spaces open for use again, and an uptick in travel expected with kids headed back to school … DOTI is ending its temporary shared streets initiative,” the city said in August.

In the program’s first 11 days, an average of 1,026 people daily traveled down the East 16th Avenue location on foot or by bike, according to Denver Streets Partnership.

A 2020 survey by the partnership found that 85% of respondents had used the Shared Streets and 90% said the Shared Streets program should continue after the pandemic ends.

In response to the program’s popularity, the city said it would implement gradual traffic calming measures for five of the Shared Streets and launch a planning effort to develop guidelines for what a permanent Shared Streets program could look like.

However, Denver Streets Partnership said it hopes the “Porch Music Fest” will help demonstrate the community support for maintaining the Shared Street now.

“The Denver Streets Partnership believes that creating an equitable and vibrant Denver means guaranteeing that our public spaces are designed for people,” the announcement said. “Making 16th Avenue a permanent, people-first street is an important step in making that vision a reality.”

The local performers include Nathan Peoples and Daniella Katzir, Armando Lopez, Bill McKay, John McKay, Long Top Bottom, Eric Martinez, DJ Stevie, DJ Red Panda, Bailey, Destino, Juice, ILL Se7en, Danette Hollowell and Jelie.

Additional information is available at the event’s Facebook page.