Celebrate PARK(ing) Day each September!
What is PARK(ing) Day?
PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global event where citizens, artists, an activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into PARK(ing) spaces - temporary public spaces.  Always scheduled for the third Friday in September, the City of Columbia has been host to PARK(ing) Day celebrations since 2015.  Each year, artists, architects, advocates for public space, and more come together to design and build temporary parklet installations in parking spaces throughout the urban core, inspiring and challenging Columbians to reframe how we think about public space.  
PARK(ing) Day was Friday, September 19, 2025 from 10AM - 3PM
Our 10th annual PARK(ing) Day celebration was Friday, September 19th, in Downtown Columbia! We hope you marked this decade of tactical urbanism by celebrating with us – check our 2025 design contest winners below, and save the date - PARK(ing) Day 2026 will be Friday, September 18th, and applications to host parklets will be released mid-Summer 2026!

It's also a design contest!
PARK(ing) Day 2025 marked our fifth annual design contest - with two awards up for grabs: a juried Best Design Award and a People's Choice Award. Congratulations to our 2025 winners, who curated great spaces that encouraged passersby to engage in the fun!
Four women stand in front of a tent decorated with mushrooms, plants, and crepe paper
The parklet hosted by RocBottom Studios and artists including Keith Tolen won this year's Juried Best Design Award. The puzzle pieces painted during PARK(ing) Day will be on display in the Jasper Project Tiny Gallery in January of 2026!
Parking spaces are decorated with gravestones, a smoke machine, flowers, and mirrors.
The Young Office Environments parklet won this year's People's Choice Award, reimagining public spaces and asking passersby to think about their goals for the future.

Need some inspiration?
Check out some photos of PARK(ing) Day installations from past celebrations in Columbia below.  If you're on social media, you can look for #parkingday and #ASLAparkingday to see what other communities have done, too!

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Parklet Pilot Project
In 2021, the City installed two public parklets as part of a pilot program.  ​Parklets transform parking spaces into vibrant community spaces, filled with seating, art, and greenery (learn more).
The first parklet, on Washington Street between Main and Sumter,  was made possible by a grant from the AARP Community Challenge Program, and featured the artwork of Frankie Zombie.  Installed in May of 2021, this vibrant parklet included cafe table seating and was adjacent to the entrance of the historic Arcade Building.  Southern Vistas provided the plants for this parklet.
Photograph of a woman taking a group selfie in the Parklet on Washington. She stands, smiling, in the lower righthand corner, as two women and two men sit in brightly colored chairs and at a bright green table, also located within the parklet, and smiling at the camera.
Parklet on Washington
The second parklet, on Hampton Street between Main and Sumter, was made possible by a grant from the Knight Foundation, and featured artwork by local artist Cait Maloney.  Additional support for both parklets was provided by One Columbia and City Center Partnership.
Picture
Parklet on Hampton
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