Thirteen spots usually used for on-street parking were reclaimed as tiny parks in Downtown on Friday as part of PARK(ing) Day.

Locations on Main, Trumbull, Arch, Pearl, Gold, and Asylum featured improv, musicians, a photography booth, and more, with a greater emphasis this year on interaction with visitors.

Naomi Nevo Ben Ari’s “Rainbow Beach” attracted some young visitors who did not hesitate to sit down in the sand.

The older the passersby, it seemed, the more cautious they were about taking off their shoes or sitting near the performers at some sites. There was plenty of admiration from afar, with these tiny parks launching easy-to-overhear conversations. Word on the actual street was that the ¡Fun Machine! (Josh Michtom and Constanza Gowen-Segovia) was a hit; also, people want the Bushnell Sculpture Garden to be both open more often and covered in sod instead of being bare concrete.

Friday was also the launch of “Beat Bikes,” a pilot bike share program in Hartford. The blue-green bikes could be found at “Grow Your City,” a spot developed by Hartford Prints! and Community Solutions. For today and this weekend, bike rentals will be free.

Other PARK(ing) Day participants: Karin Bedoya with “Flower Paradise,” Justin O’Brien with “The Photo Spot,” Hartford BID with “Coffee Café,” Sea Tea Improv with “World’s Smallest Improv Theater,” Amy LaBossiere with “Barefoot in the Park,” Lindsey Fife with “Parking Spot Pick’N Party,” Anita Balkun with “Woodland Rhythms (Get The Beat),” Nina Salazar with “Community Calder,” and Louisa Barton Duguay with “Peace, Paz, Paix.”