The annual Kwanzaa Crawl, which usually draws thousands across the city for Black heritage celebrations, may have been canceled this year due to the pandemic – but that's not stopping the some business owners.

Nostrand Social in Crown Heights says it will be welcoming customers on the first night of Kwanzaa for Unity Day. Owner Kevin Walters and other bar owners that were initially supposed to be a part of the Kwanzaa Crawl banded together for a Unity Day “Climb.”

"As opposed to crawl, we are going to climb on each other's shoulders and we're going to help each other out and make something happen," Walters says.

The Unity Day Climb features Black-owned restaurants on Nostrand Avenue. Organizers say they're taking COVID-19 precautions seriously.

"We want to make sure that we still abide by COVID rules and protocols - making sure that you are vaccinated, making sure that our staff continues to have safety measures," says Dwayne Winter, the owner of the Savvy Bistro and Bar.

Bars say they've been hurting financially this year and were looking forward to the Kwanzaa Crawl for a last minute leg-up.

News 12 reached out to the organizers of the Kwanzaa Crawl for a comment.