A mile of downtown D.C. will be closed to traffic Saturday for the Open Streets D.C. event, which promotes urban walkability and alternatives to cars.

Seventh Street Northwest will be closed to cars between Rhode Island Avenue and E Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the closure lasting until 3 p.m. between Rhode Island and New York avenues.

The event, which started in 2019, features hourly activities including yoga, dancing, biking, music, a virtual sports gaming lounge sponsored by local ESPN radio affiliate WSBN-AM (ESPN 630) and other activities.

Saturday’s event is the 11th time it has been held, according to WTOP-FM.

“Open Streets is about coming together as a community, staying active, supporting our local businesses, and reimagining how we use public space. We’re a walkable city, we’re a city that is focused on expanding biking and public transportation options, and Open Streets shows us what’s possible,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement Friday.

The D.C. Department of Transportation raffled off 51 bicycles, 29 for youths and 22 for adults, ahead of the event.

Open Streets D.C. is also meant to drum up support for pedestrian areas in downtown.

“One of the things that the mayor is doing in terms of downtown revitalization is looking at adding more pedestrian plazas,” DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum told WTOP-FM.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.