All forms of people-powered vehicles are encouraged for CicLAvia (photo by Farah Sosa)

CicLAvia is back on Melrose Avenue, a street it last took over in February 2024, but this time there’s a twist. The organization will partner with Netflix for a special “Stranger Things”-themed car-free celebration on Sunday, Nov. 23, dubbed “Melrose Avenue: Stranger Things 5 One Last Ride.”

Per usual, CicLAvia will close streets to cars and motorized transportation, promoting people-powered methods – i.e. bicycles, skateboards and, of course, feet – while advocating community members to discover their neighborhood, local attractions and small businesses. The Melrose event starts at the Vermont Avenue intersection to the east and ends at the Fairfax Avenue intersection to the west. Hubs will be located at both locations, along with Windsor Boulevard, with family-friendly activities, activations, photo booths, water refilling stations, bike repair stations, restrooms and first aid. Pedicab rides will also be available for those looking to cruise along the avenue.

CicLAvia started in 2010, and in the last 15 years it has been on the cutting-edge of imaging a cleaner and greener Los Angeles, helping to provide exposure to alternative forms of transportation while simultaneously connecting the city’s vast sprawl.

With the final season of “Stranger Things” set to begin streaming on Netflix Nov. 26 – with additional episodes dropping on Dec. 25 and the series finale on Dec. 31 – the partnership was a logical fit.

“Netflix reached out to us about a possible collaboration around the season five finale. The theme of the season is ‘One Last Ride,’ which is a nod to all the bike riding happenings. If you’re familiar with the show, kids are always on their bikes,” CicLAvia chief impact officer Meisha Rainman said.

Attendees are encouraged to get into the “Stranger Things” spirit by donning their best ‘80s garb – think leg warmers, headbands, neon and windbreakers.

“There’s going to be themed programming in all three of the hubs and different interactions roaming throughout the event. There will be immersive photo ops with some set pieces from the show. There’s going to be costume and trivia contests and live entertainment on a big stage at the Fairfax hub. There’s exclusive merch. There’s going to be freebies that are going to be given away. And there’s also going to be an exclusive content drop happening during the day for the season. And then for folks that are new to the show, or are honestly just there for the open streets, and do not get excited about ‘Stranger Things,’ all the familiar CicLAvia things will be there, too.”

Rainman said that the collaboration was a natural fit for CicLAvia’s 64th event.

“Melrose Avenue is really the perfect place. You have Fairfax High School. There’s like a high school element. You have all of these great small businesses and vintage shops and just really fun stuff for folks to engage with. There’s a lot of small theaters. There’s a lot of murals, public art, like it’s just a really creative space,” she said.

The Melrose Trading Post also operates on Sundays at the corner of Fairfax and Melrose avenues in the Fairfax High School parking lot, and the longstanding community staple will continue on as normal.

“There will be four miles of open streets for folks to play in their own people-powered way, so you don’t even have to be a ‘Strangers Things’ fan to have fun,” Rainman said.

The community can join CicLAvia anytime between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23. Only people-powered vehicles are allowed. For information, visit ciclavia.org.