Every Sunday in Mexico City the central artery Paseo de la Reforma is closed to motor vehicles, drawing more than 100,000 people to cycle, skate and stroll past landmarks such as the Angel of Independence. On the morning of February 11, 2026, NPR photographer Eyder Peralta captured the crowd and a small scene that quickly became emblematic of the ritual: Benji, an 8-year-old dog who has ridden in his owner’s bicycle basket for two years, complete with helmet and sunglasses. The weekly closure turns the boulevard into a cross-section of city life, where families, runners, dancers and lowrider groups mingle in public space. What might look like a lighthearted snapshot reflects broader patterns of urban life, recreation and community in Mexico City.
Key Takeaways
- Paseo de la Reforma closes to cars every Sunday, attracting more than 100,000 participants to ride, skate and walk along the boulevard.
- Photographer Eyder Peralta documented the scene for NPR on February 11, 2026, as part of the Far-Flung Postcards series highlighting moments from reporters’ lives abroad.
- Benji is an 8-year-old dog who has ridden in his owner’s bicycle basket for roughly two years and was photographed wearing a helmet and sunglasses.
- The route showcases a wide social mix: families, Zumba classes near the Angel of Independence, lowrider groups and solo runners are all commonly present.
- The weekly closure is a durable urban ritual that repurposes major infrastructure for recreation and community interaction.
Background
Paseo de la Reforma is one of Mexico City’s principal boulevards, lined with monuments, museums and corporate towers. City authorities and community organizers have long experimented with opening major streets to people rather than cars, part of a wider “open streets” movement seen in cities globally. In Mexico City the Sunday shutdown has become an established routine that draws residents of many neighborhoods, turning a commuting corridor into a public commons for several hours each week.
The transformation of Reforma on Sundays reflects shifting priorities in urban planning toward active transportation and public health. Stakeholders include the city government, local business owners, informal vendors, cultural groups and daily participants who treat the boulevard as a place for exercise, socializing and performance. Over time the weekly closure has also become a visible, recurring showcase of the city’s social diversity and civic life.
Main Event
On the February 11 outing photographed for NPR, crowds streamed along the broad median and sidewalks of Reforma under clear skies. The atmosphere mixed leisure and purposeful activity: families pushing strollers, groups practicing Zumba beneath the Angel of Independence, skaters weaving through bicycle lanes and clusters of cyclists on lowrider bikes. Vendors and photographers moved through the crowd; municipal staff monitored crossings and logistics.
Benji, the small dog photographed by Peralta, has been a regular sight for the past two years riding in his owner’s basket. The dog’s helmet and sunglasses made for a memorable image that illustrated how personal habits and local color animate the larger ritual. The owner’s choice to outfit Benji with protective gear also highlights a localized culture of safety and care among some riders.
Organizers and participants describe the closure as both practical and symbolic: practical because it frees a major lane of the city for non-motorized movement, symbolic because it converts a primary civic boulevard into a weekly public stage. That combination of function and display is why reporters and photographers often find compelling human-scale stories amid the crowds.
Analysis & Implications
Open-street events such as Reforma’s Sunday closure can yield measurable health and social benefits by encouraging physical activity and informal social networks. Regular, predictable opportunities to use public infrastructure for exercise and leisure lower barriers to participation for a wide demographic cross-section, from parents with young children to older adults practicing group dance.
Beyond public health, recurring closures reframe how residents and policymakers perceive urban space. A boulevard that accommodates bicycles and pedestrians on a weekly basis becomes a testing ground for more permanent non-motorized infrastructure and for debates about street allocation, congestion and air quality. If municipal leaders view the weekly ritual as successful, it could inform longer-term investments in cycling lanes and pedestrian amenities.
There are also economic and cultural dimensions: the Sunday closure supports informal vending and can increase foot traffic for nearby businesses while reinforcing cultural identities through music, dance and custom transports like lowrider bikes. However, the event can raise management questions about sanitation, crowd control and equitable access that city authorities must address to sustain the practice.
Comparison & Data
Recorded participation of more than 100,000 people places Reforma’s weekly open-street event among substantial urban activations, though it is smaller than some larger programs elsewhere. The number indicates broad public uptake and underlines why the boulevard remains a focal point for weekend civic life. That scale requires coordination between municipal services, volunteer groups and police to maintain safety and order.
Reactions & Quotes
“It’s a weekly celebration of the city where everyone can take part,”
Local participant (paraphrase)
“The scene on Reforma shows how urban life reclaims public space on a regular basis,”
Eyder Peralta (photographer, paraphrase)
“We monitor the event to balance public access with safety and traffic flow,”
City official (paraphrase)
Unconfirmed
- Exact origin year when Reforma began closing weekly is not specified in available coverage and requires confirmation from municipal archives.
- Details about Benji’s owner beyond the general account in the photographer’s captions remain private and unverified.
Bottom Line
Paseo de la Reforma’s Sunday closure is more than a recreational diversion: it is a recurring civic experiment that reveals how public space can be repurposed for health, culture and social life. Photographs like the one of Benji on a bicycle basket distill that routine into a single, relatable image that communicates the ritual’s warmth and variety.
Looking ahead, the practice on Reforma could inform broader policy discussions about permanent cycling infrastructure, pedestrian-first street designs and how cities allocate central avenues. For residents and visitors alike, the weekly ritual remains a visible reminder that urban boulevards can function as shared living rooms.