Columbia, South Carolina – On Friday, September 19, 2025, Columbia will celebrate its 10th Annual PARK(ing) Day by turning parking spots back into locations for people to hang out. This interesting event encourages people to think about how public spaces could be used in new ways by turning metered parking spots into temporary parks, art exhibits, and places for people to gather.
From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., select parking spaces in downtown will be turned into little urban oases with plants, seats, art, games, and interactive experiences. These will all be developed and built by residents, artists, and groups. The City of Columbia, the South Carolina Chapter of the American Society for Landscape Architects, and One Columbia for Arts and Culture are all working together to put on the event.
The subject for this year, “Plan Your Public Realm,” encourages people to use Columbia’s recent Downtown Strategic Plan as a guide and come up with new ideas for how to create public space. The idea is to get people talking about ways to make the streets, sidewalks, plazas, and other public spaces more fun, interesting, and welcoming for everyone.
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PARK(ing) Day has grown over the past decade from a simple experiment in tactical urbanism into a much-anticipated community event. It has become a place where people can use their imaginations to create a tiny park or installation that shows how they see a better, more lively public life.
People who want to take part can go to columbiacompass.org/parklets to get forms, rules, and links to reserve parking spaces. People who want to park must do so by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 29, and parking places are given out on a first-come, first-served basis.
People are encouraged as well to participate the PARK(ing) Day Design Contest, which is now in its fifth year. Awards will be given for the People’s Choice and Best Design, with winners earning local prizes and plenty of bragging rights.
Columbia’s PARK(ing) Day asks everyone to think about what public space should be like in the center of the city. You can do this in a reading nook, a little sculpture garden, or a bustling public lounge.
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