PARK(ing) Day is back. Grass, games and people in wacky chairs will sprout from the streets of Manhattan on September 20th. The idea is to re-purpose metered parking spaces into a park. So get a group together, mock up designs, and start the meter! In the past few years, participants have spotlighted issues within the local community or simply rolled out some terrain to relax on. People have set up volleyball courts, couches, yoga classes, chicken pens, and even a miniature toilet. Started in San Francisco in 2006 (inspired by New York’s Transportation Alternatives 2005 parking squat in Brooklyn), the event now takes place in 100 cities around the world. Below are images from other cities. Also, IKEA came out with a 1-minute video inspired by the celebration.

For details see PARK(ing) Day, but frankly it’s a little unclear if you need to apply to participate (which isn’t mentioned on the website, but on other sources which cover PARK(ing) Day or if you can just show up. Emails to the organization have not been returned, so Untapped Cities is planning to show up. Stay tuned for locations and design plans.