Giving Tuesday 2025: Celebrating 15 Years of Open Streets with CicLAvia

Steve Spillman
2025-11-13T11:11:56-08:00

This Giving Tuesday, we're supporting CicLAvia, the non-profit transforming our home city of Los Angeles by opening its streets to people, not cars. Since 2010, CicLAvia has created vibrant, car-free open streets events where Angelenos can walk, bike, skate, and connect with their communities.

More

This Giving Tuesday, we're supporting CicLAvia, the non-profit transforming our home city of Los Angeles by opening its streets to people, not cars. Since 2010, CicLAvia has created vibrant, car-free open streets events where Angelenos can walk, bike, skate, and connect with their communities.

This year, as CicLAvia celebrates its 15th anniversary, the need for funding is more urgent than ever. Their free events rely on donations and volunteers to stay open and accessible for all.

To help support their mission, we're donating 100% of sales from our limited edition Holiday Card to CicLAvia. This fun add-on to your Thousand order is the perfect holiday surprise for riders of all ages. All proceeds will go directly to CicLAvia, helping them continue to bring car-free events to the streets of LA.

Shop now and give gifts made to last and spread joy.

We caught up with Romel Pascual, CicLAvia's Executive Director, to reflect on 15 years of CicLAvia and how he thinks their open streets events can transform Los Angeles.

Thousand: Do you remember a moment during an event when you thought, “This is what CicLAvia is all about”?

RP: Yes, the very first CicLAvia on 10/10/10. There was something in the air I had never felt in Los Angeles before. There was a sense that we were all collectively discovering something completely new. As I rode along the streets, the conversations around me all seemed to echo the same idea, “This is so cool.” It was streets without cars, filled with tens of thousands of people.

We often call CicLAvia Sundays “miles of smiles,” and from that very first event, it truly lived up to the name. Before that day, I had never seen so many people smiling together, experiencing the same joy, in the same place, at the same time. Strangers united around a city reclaiming their streets for the community. It was a reminder that “Joy is a Human Right”.

Thousand: What’s one behind-the-scenes detail most people don’t know about how CicLAvia comes together?

RP: One detail most people don’t know is that our team personally visits (twice!) every business and home along the route before every event. It’s not just a checklist; it’s an opportunity to connect, listen, and answer questions directly. We talk with business owners about how the day might affect them and share tips for making the most of the event. And we hear from residents about any concerns or ideas. This door-to-door outreach takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s at the heart of what makes CicLAvia successful. The personal connections build trust, strengthen our community, and ensure that when streets are closed, everyone feels included and excited to be part of the experience

Thousand: What’s your favorite route of all time?

RP: It’s hard to pick a favorite. All 64 routes we’ve done have their own magic. But the one that really stands out for me is the first CicLAvia after the pandemic, CicLAvia—Wilmington in August 2021. After 18 months without an event, our last one had been CicLAvia—South LA in February 2020, and there was this huge sense of relief and joy in just being together again.

You could feel how much people needed that moment. We were all coming out of such a tough, uncertain time, and CicLAvia gave us a reason to connect again - safely, joyfully, and as a community. Seeing Angelenos walking, biking, and smiling together in the streets again reminded me exactly why CicLAvia matters. It was hope on wheels and on foot.

Thousand: What kind of support do you need to keep CicLAvia events free and open to the public?

RP: As you know, we are a non-profit organization and we have to raise dollars to produce every CicLAvia Sunday. To keep these events free and open to everyone, we need consistent, multi-year funding and institutional partnerships that recognize the profound public value these events deliver.

We also rely on support from individuals who love CicLAvia. We have a strong community of monthly supporters known as Street Stars that is growing every day. Their contributions are essential to close the gap between what public funding can provide and what it takes to bring our streets to life. CicLAvia is more than a day without cars — it’s a living demonstration of what equitable, sustainable, joyful mobility looks like in Los Angeles.

Thousand: What excites you most about the future of CicLAvia?

RP: What excites me most about CicLAvia’s future is that it could inspire a whole new anthem for Los Angeles – a theme song for the city we’re becoming. Every CicLAvia Sunday, it feels like LA takes a deep breath and remembers who it really is. People walk, bike, dance, laugh, and for a day, the city feels connected in a way that’s so rare, yet so real.

CicLAvia changes the way people see Los Angeles. It shows that Angelenos are ready for something different, a city built for people, not cars. And honestly, that energy, that rhythm, feels like music already.

I’m especially inspired by the new generation discovering CicLAvia for the first time. For a lot of them, it’s their first glimpse of an LA that’s open, vibrant, and full of life. That spark, that moment when someone realizes “this is our city” is what keeps us going.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to bring that feeling to even more neighborhoods, more streets, and more people. CicLAvia’s future is all about connection, making sure everyone, no matter where they live, feels like they belong on the streets of Los Angeles.

All questions answered by Romel Pascual, CicLAvia Executive Director