For immediate release  ·  August 4, 2026

Parrish Street Bike, Run, Walk Selected to Receive $100,000 Investment from Durham Next

Funding and Support Provided through Durham Next's Multi-year, Capacity-building Initiative

DURHAM, N.C. August 4, 2026 — Parrish Street Bike, Run, Walk has been selected to participate in Durham Next's new Community Investment Program initiative, Accelerate: A Durham Festival Collective (Accelerate). The first-ever Accelerate application period generated 30 total submissions, with five ultimately selected for funding to support their vision and strategic planning.

Through this partnership, the Parrish Street Legacy Bike, Run, Walk will receive funding and access to wraparound support services geared toward expanding the festival's reach and economic impact. Major Taylor Community Outreach has been awarded $100,000 in year one of a multi-year investment to support the expansion of its national marketing, cultural programming, public safety operations and race technology, with the largest share going toward drawing visitors to Durham from outside the region. These year-over-year investments from Durham Next will support and cultivate the festival's growth to increase its local economic impact in the community.

The Parrish Street Legacy Bike, Run, Walk grew out of Major Taylor Community Outreach's work bringing athletes to North Carolina, and out of a conviction that Durham has a story worth traveling for. Parrish Street is four blocks downtown that W.E.B. Du Bois visited in 1912 and described as an unmatched display of Black entrepreneurship in America. Black bankers, doctors, lawyers and business owners built an entire economy there, inside a country that refused to include them in its own. Most visitors walk those blocks without knowing what they are standing on. The festival is built on four pillars, Move, Remember, Celebrate and Connect, bringing cyclists, runners and walkers of every level to the same start line on that street. It is not a race that happens to take place in Durham. It is a celebration of Durham's Black Wall Street that happens to include a race.

"Our organization's work started on the bike, bringing cyclists together for rides across North Carolina, and every time, it feels like a family reunion," said Stefanee Richardson, co-founder of Major Taylor Community Outreach. "This investment lets us open that up to runners and walkers, and to people who may have never had a reason to come to Durham. What they will find here is a story the whole country should hear. Durham deserves to be a place of reunion."

Durham Next is an economic development nonprofit focused on tourism, working toward the advancement of Durham over the next 20 years based on the vision outlined in Durham's Destination Master Plan (DMP). The nonprofit leverages a portion of visitor dollars to collaboratively pursue transformative projects, programs and other community-based opportunities that will attract visitors and build a thriving environment for residents.

Through Accelerate, Durham Next is investing in existing events led by local festival producers that attract visitors, drive economic opportunities for locals and celebrate the culture and creativity that define Durham's destination character.

"Festivals aren't just fun gatherings for our community to enjoy," said Tara Kenchen, executive director of Durham Next. "They bring millions of dollars into our community each year, helping to support small businesses, job opportunities and revenue for local and state government. We're investing in Durham as a visitor destination to create pathways to economic opportunity and community benefit for residents, and we're excited for the opportunity to do that by uplifting the creative and entrepreneurial leaders already working to cultivate Durham's festival ecosystem."

The inaugural Parrish Street Legacy Bike, Run, Walk will take place in Durham in 2027, with multiple cycling, running and walking distances alongside four days of cultural programming. Registration and event details will be announced later this month. Those interested in participating, sponsoring or vending can join the notification list at mtcommunityoutreach.redpodium.com/parrish-street-legacy-notify.

For more information on Durham Next's Community Investment Program, visit durhamnext.org/community-investment-program.

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