From 19 to 22 September, Nyzhanivskyi Street in the centre of Lviv will become a temporary pedestrian zone. On these days, it will host the “Nyzhanivskyi Street Days”, the main event of European Mobility Week in Lviv.
For the duration of the initiative, car traffic will be restricted and the street space will be given over to pedestrians and visitors. On Saturday and Sunday there will be relaxation areas, sports grounds, children’s zones, a street food market, exhibitions and a cultural programme. The event is due to open on Saturday, 19 September, at 12:00.
The “Nyzhanivskyi Street Days” are being put together with the involvement of local businesses and the educational, cultural and social institutions located on the street, as well as departments of Lviv City Council and partners. The initiative aims to show how urban space can change if part of the area usually occupied by cars is returned to people.
Throughout Saturday and Sunday, the street will host sports activities, workshops, board games, literary events, a photo exhibition, an interactive inclusivity zone, a tactical medicine training session and other events for different age groups. During the day, young musicians, soloists and creative groups from Lviv art institutions will perform on stage.
In the evenings at the weekend, the stage will operate as a concert venue. On Saturday, Rebeka Mikhaeli and Serhii Skulynets will perform for guests, and on Sunday the stage will host Marichka Bondar and the band “Servant”.
Special focus on the Defence Forces of Ukraine. The programme includes activities and presentations by the Defence Forces, as well as charitable initiatives in their support. During the event, funds will be raised for the “Nakhtihal” unmanned systems battalion of the 1st Corps “Azov”, the 4th Separate Heavy Mechanised Brigade, “Right Sector”, as well as for the NGO “International Charity Fund “Little Victories”” to support children with disabilities.
On Tuesday, 22 September, at 17:30, a separate working meeting dedicated to the forthcoming refurbishment of Nyzhanivskyi Street will be held at the House of Sound (6 Knyazia Romana Street). Participants will discuss their vision for developing the space, taking into account the needs of residents, businesses, educational institutions, and cultural and social organisations.
Among the main objectives of the initiative, the organisers highlight: drawing attention to the potential of Nyzhanivskyi Street as a high-quality public space; promoting sustainable mobility with priority for pedestrians and micromobility; creating a safe, inclusive and comfortable environment; and bringing residents and local communities together around a shared vision for the street’s development.
“Today, Nyzhanivskyi Street remains difficult to access and unfriendly to pedestrians: although most of the street is formally designated as a pedestrian zone, a large part of the available space is taken up by chaotically parked cars. At the same time, an active community has formed on the street that wants to rethink how this space is used,” the organisers explain.
An additional incentive for holding the “Street Days” was an investment project to create a car park and public space on the site of an abandoned foundation. It is expected to provide an opportunity to transform the street’s appearance in a meaningful way, taking into account the interests of residents and other users of the space.
The “Street Days” in Lviv are being held for the third year in a row as part of European Mobility Week. In 2023, Sichovykh Striltsiv Street was closed to cars for a day, and in 2025, “Furmanska Street Days” took place over four days. This format of temporarily reimagining streets has been positively received by residents and has become one of the ways of showing what urban space can look like when it is designed first and foremost for people.
Some of the “Nyzhanivskyi Street Days” events require advance registration. These include, in particular, the interactive discussion “What do photographs conceal?” on Saturday, 19 September, at 14:00, as well as guided tours of the building at 6 Knyazia Romana Street on Sunday, 20 September, at 13:00 and 15:00.
Organisers of the “Nyzhanivskyi Street Days” — the Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure of Lviv City Council, with the support of CIVINET Ukraine, the BeerFreak Special festival, partners on Nyzhanivskyi Street and other city council departments. European Mobility Week in Lviv runs from 16 to 22 September.