SAN ANTONIO – For four hours, Broadway belonged to the people.
San Antonio’s annual Síclovía event closed the busy corridor to vehicle traffic Sunday, inviting bikers, runners, skaters and walkers to take over the road.
The YMCA of Greater San Antonio organizes the free event. Síclovía was originally scheduled for April 12, but was rescheduled to May 3 due to inclement weather.
“It’s one of the biggest events in San Antonio,” said Shannon Gowen, who works with YMCA of Greater San Antonio. “We just shut down all of the streets and give everyone an opportunity to just take over the streets, bike, skate, walk, whatever you want to do.”
Organizers said Síclovía is not just about exercise — it’s about neighbors meeting neighbors and boosting local businesses, arriving right in time for National Small Business Week.
One vendor said the in-person connection makes all the difference.
“It’s nice to have that face-to-face as opposed to online advertising or over-the-phone advertising to just be here with feet on the street talking to the people that we want to bring paws in our door,” said a local pet business representative.
For first-timers, the turnout was a welcome surprise.
“It’s my first time doing this event, and seeing all of these people that are coming out to be a part of the community is so awesome,” one attendee said.
Síclovia began in 2011 in San Antonio, inspired by a similar event in Colombia. Since then, organizers said more than 1.1 million people have participated in the free gathering.
Kyle Johnson, an attendee, said the event does more than close a street — it opens up the city.
“I know Broadway shut down, but it kind of asks people to come out and take a different route, maybe explore more parts of the city and meet more people and say, ‘Hey, you can stay in your little pocket, but you’re missing the rest of the city,’” Johnson said.
Read also:
Copyright 2026 by TheTXLoop – All rights reserved.