'Summer Streets' event kicks off Saturday in Manhattan

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City is ready to celebrate summer, as a nearly 7-mile stretch of Manhattan will be closed down starting Saturday for 'Summer Streets'.

New Yorkers can take fitness classes, listen to live music, and take a workshop.

There will also be two water park areas, including a 270-foot waterslide near Foley Square.

Now in its 10th year, the event shuts down Park Avenue between the Brooklyn Bridge and 72nd Street, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the next three Saturdays.

Last year an estimated 300,000 people attended Summer Streets.

"DOT is thrilled once again to be joining our partners to bring Summer Streets to Manhattan for a tenth summer running," said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. "In its decennial year, Summer Streets will allow us to once again give back some of our most important public space - our streets - to the public with car-free surroundings and rest stops that will be bigger and more entertaining than ever.

Among the highlights are Citi Experience: Mini-Golf and Mount Everest at Astor Place, which include a 360 degree Mt. Everest VR experience and a New York-centric mini golf course.

The event also features "Food Sessions": Participatory Public Art.

As part of Food Sessions, two hundred and sixteen participants are ushered through a guided meditation-a shared journey in the form of a meal-in the format of a silent disco.