¡Viva! Streets offering wide variety of community activities in downtown Denver

¡Viva! Streets closes down 3.5 miles of downtown Denver streets for a huge festival that encourages people to explore downtown. The street festival runs down Broadway Street from Alameda to 20th St. and along Welton St. from 20th to Downing. The whole event is put on by the Downtown Denver Partnership for free.

It takes dozens of volunteers to make the event run smoothly. Many are stationed at barricades and traffic crossings to make sure people stay safe.

"It's really a fun opportunity to get out on the route. You can see folks, talk to them, encourage them to come in if they're unfamiliar with the event," said Paige Johnson, Hub Captain on Welton Street.

Each of the hubs have different activities. The Welton Street Hub has several businesses and organizations with free giveaways, chess boards for community play, and dance lessons. The nonprofit organization Denver Salsa Bachata Congress will be on-hand for free lessons.

"Whenever we think about dance, we think about the fun of it, and that's great, and that's important, too. But the culture and keeping the culture alive and preserving it is actually a big part of our mission," said Tom Ogunribido, founder of the Denver Salsa Bachata Congress.

You never know what you're going to find at ¡Viva! Streets. During the last one -- on July 9 -- Curtis Park Neighborhood Association was out making posies for people. The small floral arrangements were handmade. People could pick their flowers, and then they could attach them to their bike, scooter or helmet. There were many businesses and organizations offering fun, unique experiences.

Bicycle Colorado set up a bicycle rodeo for kids on one of the side streets. The rodeo focused on skills and real world experiences, like a cross walk and some rock dodges. Cycling gives kids confidence and a sense of independence.

"Mostly, it's just to get kids on bikes, get kids engaged with biking and some skills that they might have to learn. Things that will be useful for them," said AJ Rodriguez, Bicycle Educator with Bicycle Colorado.

LINK: ¡Viva! Streets