The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership in conjunction with the City of Winston-Salem, will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly renovated Passageway Park on Thursday, May 9, at 11:00 a.m. The event will include remarks from local elected leaders and representatives from the renovation project, along with food trucks and live music. Passageway Park is located in downtown Winston-Salem between Cherry and Trade Streets.

The city-owned walkway was originally constructed in the early 1970s as part of the Trade Street Pedestrian Mall project. In the time since, the area had become outdated, in need of repair, and was becoming a security concern in downtown. In 2015, with an increased focus on pedestrian access and connectivity downtown, the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership decided it was time to address the situation.

The project began with a reimagining of the space. With the theme Illuminate * Cultivate * Activate, the focus was on breathing new life into the walkway and turning it into a safe, attractive, well-lit pocket park and pedestrian avenue for downtown residents and visitors to enjoy. The project included the removal of old concrete planters and above-ground landscaping, the addition of new dirt and ecological landscaping throughout the space, artistic overhead lighting, and the installation of metal picket fencing, security cameras, bike racks and garbage cans.

The updated Passageway Park will be available for low-key public performances and has already been used by a/perture cinema for a public film screening and as a venue for the Winston-Salem Light Project. “We want this to be a wonderful urban pedestrian environment where people feel safe and comfortable for a long time to come,” said Ralph Womble, Downtown Winston-Salem BID chair and vice-chair of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership. The ribbon cutting ceremony is a chance for visitors to see the newly renovated space and then enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants downtown.