Dallas transforming downtown with art, car-free streets for 2026 FIFA World Cup
With only 20 days to go until the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, downtown Dallas is getting a colorful makeover ahead of the games, hoping to make streets more pedestrian-friendly. New art installations, community spaces, and street closures are all part of an effort to bring more energy to the city center over the next few weeks.
Bright shades of blue, orange, and pink now cover closed-off parking spaces along Main Street in downtown.
"I think it's cool, it's something different," said Jabien Garrett, a Dallas Resident
Several parts of downtown are undergoing a transformation, adding not just color to the streets, but also community spaces with seating, shade areas and life-size games.
"It definitely brings out the culture of downtown a little bit," said Julian Espinoza, who works nearby.
Downtown Dallas Inc. is spearheading the projects along with the city of Dallas, hoping to bring more vibrancy to the area for residents and the thousands of visitors expected to travel to North Texas for the global tournament. Organizers said these World Cup projects should be finished by June 1, and the whole idea is to make this area more walkable for everyone.
"Cause when we ride around, we see like big buildings all the time, but you never really see art and all of that, so they really attracted my eye," Jimmyia Knight told CBS News Texas.
Organizers are also planning "car-free, open-streets" Saturdays with local vendors, live music, and family-friendly activities. Along with 35 parking spots that are now closed off to the public for the next 6 weeks, Main Street will also be closed to vehicle traffic from Akard to Harwood between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on June 20, June 27, July 4 and July 11.
"And within that we will have four Saturdays throughout June and July that we will close down the streets, make it a car-free environment," said Juan Galvan with Downtown Dallas, INC. "Saturday mornings, that's when we tend to see lower traffic in the streets, and so what we tend to do is aim for those types of time slots."
CBS News Texas asked a Dallas city spokesperson how these closures might impact drivers, but they did not return our request for comment, but Galvan said they focused on days not as traffic-heavy. Some business owners told CBS News Texas they appreciate the beautification efforts, but question why more investments like this don't happen year-round, and not just ahead of the World Cup, but organizations said it's a year-round effort.
"We are always working to enhance our parks and beautification, it's not only just for FIFA, but also for longevity," said Monica Gonzalez with Downtown Dallas, INC.
Starting June 1, Downtown Dallas, Inc. will also have more ambassadors walking the streets doing security and cleaning up the area.
