CicLAvia to extend outside downtown LA; everything you need to know

CicLAvia has a new route that extends through downtown Los Angeles to Boyle Heights and Echo Park Sunday. 

The Heart of L.A. is CicLAvia's tenth event; the route is approximately ten miles long. 

But don't worry: There's no need to bike it all. There's no registration required, no starting point and no ending point.

“This is not a race…” said Aaron Paley, the executive director and one of the cofounders of CicLAvia. “...You don’t have to be on a bike. It’s great to come to CicLAvia and go for a nice walk and bring your parasol.”

Heart of L.A. will go through downtown L.A., but the new route will also extend into new areas for CicLAvia, like Echo Park, the Historic Broadway Theater District and Boyle Heights. It was made possible by a grant from Metro, Paley said. Metro awarded grants to 12 different open street projects, five of which are affiliated with CicLAvia. Heart of L.A. was the first to come to fruition.  

(Pro tip: KPCC will be at the Echo Park hub. More on that later.)

Jessica Cowley, founder of Public Space Singalong, will be at the 2nd Street Tunnel to host family-friendly singalongs. This will be Public Space Singalong’s third event outside of Crowley’s home and the group's first time participating in CicLAvia. 

“All you need to do is come and have a willingness to sing in public,” Cowley said. “We choose songs that we think are known by a wide swath of people.”

Public Space Singalong will have two sessions on Sunday: One from noon to 12:30 p.m. and another from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Some of the songs they will sing include “Walking on Sunshine,” “Made in L.A.” and “Bicycle Race.”

Since the heat wave is expected to return this weekend, Paley said participants should bring water and remember to stay hydrated. There will also be drink and food hubs along the way.

Below is a list of the hubs on the route, which feature everything from food trucks to Zumba. 

• Echo Park (Glendale Boulevard and Bellevue Avenue) — Enjoy the DJ and food trucks, including Fluff Ice, Grilled Cheese Truck and Mandoline Grill. Plus, KPCC will have a booth there; come visit for free swag and bring your favorite cassette to play in our boombox (no joke). We'll be located on the north side of Bellevue between Glendale Boulevard and Echo Park Avenue (at the southern end of Echo Park Lake). 
• Chinatown (Hill Street and Broadway) — Live music will be played throughout the day. There will also be ping pong and food from a variety of food trucks. 
• Mariachi Plaza (East 1st Street and Boyle Avenue) — Wander through the farmers market, take advantage of the Las Fotos Project's free photo booth, meet Boyle Heights community organizations, and enjoy DJs, live music, Zumba and mariachis.  
• East L.A. Civic Center (Mednik Avenue and 3rd Street) — Enjoy the kids zone, where there will be a bike safety skills course, L.A. Landmarks coloring book workshop and painting on the Mobile Mural Lab. The Happy place will also be offering free bike valet and bike share. Also, enjoy a yoga class at 11 a.m., and then explore food booths and food trucks that will be present throughout the day. 
• Theater District (Broadway and 9th Street) — There will be guided tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the Los Angeles Theatre and Tower Theater. There will also be the Library Store on Wheels, a rock wall, shaded sitting area, photo booth and food trucks. ​
• Cinco Puntos (Cesar Chavez Avenue and Lorena Street) — Enjoy a CicLAvia kick-off ceremony at 8:30 a.m. with Mayor Eric Garcetti and  Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Cambalache’s Gourmet food truck. 

CicLAvia is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. A downloadable map of Heart of L.A. can be found here, and more information about the event can be found on CicLAvia’s website here. Below is a full guide, including maps and suggested places to stop. 

Will you you be at CicLAvia? Tweet us pics @kpcc and stop by our booth at the Echo Park hub to say hi.

Map and everything else you need to know