What you should know
An extremely popular music festival in New York City destroyed the Great Lawn, prohibiting New Yorkers from taking advantage of the calm, summer weather the city is experiencing outdoors. The Great Lawn will be closed until at least April 2024 following the September 23 Global Citizens Festival that tore up the grass. The “combination of heavy rain, foot traffic, and machinery used to construct the stage destroyed” about a third of the green space, according to a letter New York City Councilwoman Gail Brewer wrote to Mayor Eric Adams, asking that the festival will be held somewhere else in the future.
NEW YORK — An extremely popular music festival in New York City destroyed the Great Lawn, prohibiting New Yorkers from taking advantage of the calm, summer weather the city is experiencing outdoors.
And the damage that the festival caused to the grass of the Great Lawn, one of the most popular places for visitors to the Manhattan park, may be seen in the coming months.
The Great Lawn will be closed until at least April 2024 after the Global Citizens Festival, which took place on September 23, ripped up the grass.
The “combination of heavy rain, foot traffic, and machinery used to construct the stage allegedly destroyed” about a third of the green space, according to a letter New York City Councilwoman Gail Brewer wrote to Mayor Eric Adams, asking him that the festival would be held somewhere else in the future.
“I am writing to request that the Global Citizen Festival no longer be scheduled in Central Park. The Global Citizen Festival has been held in the park for years, and this year, on September 23, it moved forward at full speed despite torrential rains ” Brewer wrote in her letter to the mayor, adding that she has “never been a fan” of the festival but noted that it typically raises $2 million each year.
The Central Park Conservancy said “overwhelming conditions” combined with all the machinery and thousands of people tearing up the grass, with a third of it “completely destroyed.” A spokesperson for the group said his team is “working to restore the lawn,” which they hope to reopen in the spring.
“While we share New Yorkers’ frustration, we have had a positive relationship with the producers of the Global Citizen Festival and are confident that any damage will be remedied quickly,” said a spokesperson for the New York City Parks Department.
A city official said organizers followed all permitting protocols and are responsible for all costs associated with the damage. The official added that the Great Lawn is usually closed to the public each year from November to April anyway for standard maintenance.
The area around the Great Lawn is now sealed with temporary fencing until repairs can be made.
2023-10-03 21:27:40
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