Reclaim the Streets often stage non-violentdirect actionstreet reclaiming events such as the 'invasion' of a major road, highway or motorway to stage a party. While this may obstruct the regular users of these spaces such as car drivers and public bus riders, the philosophy of RTS is that it is vehicletraffic, not pedestrians, who are causing the obstruction, and that by occupying the road they are in fact opening up public space. The events are usually spectacular and colourful, with sand pits for children to play in, free food and music. At a minority of events, where the police have tried to violently shut down the event there has been violence between protestors and police.<ref>Klein, Naomi. No Logo. Toronto : A.A Knopf Canada. 2000. Template:ISBN</ref>
Reclaim the Streets was originally formed by Earth First!<ref>Wall, Derek. Earth First and the Anti-Roads Movement. London: Routledge. 1999. Template:ISBN</ref>
Camden High Street, 14 May 1995. The first major RTS street party action took over a busy London street and closed it to motor-traffic for an afternoon. Around 500 people took over the street. There was free food served from tables in the middle of the road, and music played from a bicycle-powered sound system. A climbing frame was placed in the middle of a crossroad junction and children were able to play on it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The action met on the high street in the afternoon and left from the Rainbow Centre, a squatted Church in Kentish Town.
Upper Street, Islington, 23 July 1995. Three thousand people party at another busy traffic junction. Banners are stretched between lampposts, with messages such as ‘STREET NOW OPEN’ and ‘CAR FREE’.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> There is a sound system as well as a live band that uses a bus stop as a stage. Kids play in a hastily constructed sandpit.
Birmingham, 6 August 1995.<ref name="rtsbirm">Template:Cite web</ref> Organised with a handful of people around 200 people turn up for family afternoon with live band playing from the back of a truck. To prevent police using riot tactics to clear the street at the end, a procession with music and dancing headed off down the road to a pub.
Brighton, 14 February 1996. Protest publicised in part by Justice? & SchNEWS closes a section of the North Laine area of Brighton. A bouncy castle is erected in a crossing and traffic is stopped for most of the afternoon.
M41 Motorway, Shepherd's Bush, London. 13 July 1996. After a cat-and-mouse game with the police, 6,000 protestors take over part of the elevated motorway. Many sound-systems play, one of which is carried on a truck that was parked on the hard shoulder.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Hidden underneath dancers walking on stilts and wearing huge, wire-supported dresses, environmental activists drill holes in the tarmac and plant trees.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The party continued into the next morning.
Pershore Road, Birmingham, 17 August 1996<ref name="rtsbirm" />
Cowley Road, Oxford Thursday 31 October 1996<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - Afternoon and evening party which began when sound systems on lorries stopped traffic using Cowley Road between around Divinity Road and Rectory Road
Bank Underground station, London, 13 July 1998. To show support for London Underground workers striking resisting privatisation, activists shut down the Central line by climbing on a train in the morning rush-hour and unfurled a larger banner at the station entrance.
Global Street Party! Birmingham Bullring, 16th May 1998
Toxic Planet at 173 Upper Street, London (opposite Islington Town Hall), 4–11 October 1998.
Tube party, 1 May 1999.
Carnival Against Capital: 18 June 1999. A global day of action. In London the financial district is targeted. The LIFFE building is stormed.
Action to mark the introduction of the Terrorism Act. 19 February 2001.
Bye Bye Planet. 19 April 2001. An action at the Natural History Museum protested at the perceived greenwash and corporate rebranding of BP by subverting an exhibition about climate change which was sponsored by BP.
Business Class Tube launched. 5 June 2001. 50 trains receive stickers announcing a new Cattle Class.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
File:Reclaim the Streets 1.pngNew York City event in 1999April 1999 New York City: Avenue A. Reclaim the Streets and Turn them into Gardens.
April 1999 Berlin.
May 1999 Turku, Finland; late May 1999 Brussels, Belgium.
June 1999 Global carnival against capital; London; Scotland; Nigeria; Czech Republic; Los Angeles; (Germany); Australia; Barcelona in 18 June; New York City.
April 2001 Quebec City: Anti-capitalist Carnival, welcoming in the spring (and shaking down the Free Trade-touting "Americas Summit"): www.quebec2001.net
April 2001 Everywhere (mostly Nordic) Operation Dessert Storm.
May 2001 All over – MayDay. RTS in crèche shock! statement; and see indymedia.
May 2004 Dublin. Part of a 'No Borders' weekend of protest, which led to some violence
April 2006, Sydney. Gathering at the financially troubled Cross City Tunnel, attendees called for greater investment in public transport and cycle paths, with partygoers occupying the tarmac and enjoying performances by the ShittyRail Transit Cop dance troupe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
December 2006 – Protest against demolition of the 1957 Star Ferry Pier, Central, Hong Kong.
May 2007 – Protest against demolition of the 1953 Queen's Pier, Central, Hong Kong.
Mar – Apr 2008 – Performance art competition against the privatisation of public area in front of Times Square (Hong Kong), Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
Apr 2008 Amsterdam – protest for free space and a performance from a truck driving through the streets of Amsterdam.
