The Adorable Instagrams of PARK(ing) Day

Are things looking a little more whimsical out on the streets today? That’s because it’s PARK(ing) Day, the annual event where “citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces” into tiny public spaces, according to the official website. Started in San Francisco in 2005, the idea has since launched a thousand somewhat more permanent parklets, pop-up parks, and pocket parks (call them what you will, but it better be alliterative), and several coffee-table books’ worth of twee Instagram posts. Folks find all sorts of endearing and head-scratching uses for these spaces, from games of ping-pong to hosting life-size replicas of Pokémon. Find a few of our favorite shots from this year’s celebrations, from Singapore to Dallas.