The Great Lawn on September 26. Photo by Billy Amato.
This year’s Global Citizen Festival took place on a rainy September 23. As it has for over a decade, the concert was held on Central Park‘s Great Lawn. Council Member Gale Brewer is hoping this was the annual event’s finale.
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“I write to request that the Global Citizen Festival no longer be scheduled in Central Park,” Brewer wrote in an October 2 letter to Mayor Adams. “The Global Citizen Festival has been held in the park for years, and this year, on September 23, it was full speed ahead despite torrential rain.”
Brewer continued to say that a third of the Great Lawn was destroyed and it will now be closed until April 2024 or later, “all to accommodate a one-day event.”
“I have never been a fan of the Global Citizen Festival because so little, if any, of the grants are allocated to non-profits in New York City. However, I believe the festival brings in $2 million to the general fund. I urge you to schedule the Global Citizen Festival in a venue other than Central Park, such as an arena or stadium.”
Here’s a scene from this year’s concert:
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A spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy provided ILTUWS with the following statement: [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”16″] The Central Park Conservancy is very disappointed that the iconic Great Lawn is now closed and unavailable for New Yorkers to enjoy this fall. The use of heavy equipment and intense foot traffic in the saturated conditions from the September 23 concert damaged a large portion of the lawn and fully destroyed a third of it. Our team is now working to restore the lawn, hopefully in time to reopen this spring.”
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Here’s a statement we received from a Global Citizen spokesperson:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”16″] The Global Citizen Festival has taken place in Central Park for the last 11 years in close collaboration with the City of New York, its agencies, and the Central Park Conservancy.We are incredibly grateful to call New York City and Central Park the home of our movement, which has seen $43.6 billion deployed to end extreme poverty, impacting 1.3 billion lives around the world.
This year’s rainfall meant closer alignment with City agencies and stakeholders than ever before. In the months leading up to the festival on September 23, and daily in the week before the event, we worked closely with the NYC Mayor’s Office, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, Office of Emergency Management, NYPD, FDNY and the Central Park Conservancy. Ultimately, the City of New York, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Central Park Conservancy, determined that this year’s festival should go ahead.
In addition to the fee paid to the City each year for use of the Park, Global Citizen works with the Central Park Conservancy to assess and cover the costs of any damage, and we remain committed to fulfilling those obligations, as we have since 2012.”
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And here’s a statement from the Parks Department:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”16″]While we share New Yorkers’ frustration, we have had a positive relationship with the Global Citizen Festival producers and are confident any damages will be remedied expeditiously.
[/perfectpullquote]We’ll provide updates as we learn more.
Based on the crowds I saw on CPW, waiting for hours in cold, torrential rains, I’m sure nothing would stop them and they would be willing to attend the concert at a stadium. I’m with Gail Brewer on this .
They should find a better venue other than Central Park Great Lawn that has been abused in the past and this is the worse I’ve ever seen it and all that great renovation work done back in 1997, and they destroyed our park and we can’t go on it until June 2024 and our kids can’t play Little League next year on the great lawn because of this!
The hell with Global Citizen Festival if that’s their attitude. And they’d give back nothing to New York for what they stand for “hunger”! And they take away from our pleasure of sitting on the Great Lawn for the remainder of 2023 and six months into 2024 or more!!!
Pardon my frustration, but to the hell with Global Citizen Festival. I pay my tax dollars for this mess and they destroyed that took many years to build… get rid of them!!! We should all protest and march against them! Let’s get organized and start this now!
Parks Dept statement is tone deaf…
Even if GC pays for the damages and repair the citizens of NYC are still forced to be without the use of The Great Lawn for 6 months or so…
We prefer to have use of the iconic Great Lawn at all times of the year and that should be the focus of the Parks Dept
For once we all agree on the same page that’s our lGreat Lawn ! This should never happen again . And you know we lose it for the winter because we get snow 3 inches or more. We’re allowed to cross country ski and play in the snow in the great long during those days of the winter now we can’t because of the idiot Odyssey of the Global Citizen Festival – shame on them!
I don’t care for Ms Brewer, but she is right on this one. This is why we can’t have nice things!
Yes, Gale Brewer stepped up to the plate on this one! Kudos to her and her team and thank you!
It’s a tragedy what this organization has done to the Great Lawn, so sad. It makes me very angry that the Global Citizen Festival just walks away.. I for one will never support them and their selfishness towards the New Yorkers of this incident, unprofessional behavior they did to all of us here in New York City. This concert should’ve been canceled from the night before.. common sense… it didn’t need the OK Central Park!!!! Lies all lies. By the way, they’re entertainment sucked!
These comments ignore the facts. Firstly, the Great Lawn is closed for all use between November and at least April every year (so the Festival damage is responsible for 1 extra month). This is for normal wear and tear “healing” and maintenance. Secondly, the City and Parks Department long ago ceded its care to the private Central Park Conservancy, so any tax dollars are at best used as a small portion of the Parks’ costs (similar to Riverside Park, though I think they get more public financing). As someone who was lucky enough to attend such concerts as Barbra Streisand in the Sheep Meadow, Simon & Garfunkel on the Great Lawn, the annual Philharmonic concerts, and others, I can’t be hypocritical about this Festival, which I am NOT a fan of. However, those previous large shows proved the damage done to the grounds, and were generally banned (with the exception of the smaller, “gentler” Philharmonic events). I agree with not having large events any more as a result. The Festival should pay it’s fair share of restoration costs, but in my opinion the fault is with the City & Parks Department for allowing it during bad weather, which worsened the scale of damage.
Josh – you indeed are really not in touch with reality of the damage that was done to this lawn by the Global citizen festival and the Great Lawn normally is scheduled for closing from Thanksgiving until the end of March and open during the winter for cross country skiing. To enlighten you there will be NO cross country skiing this year Due to the damage that the Global Citizen Festival did this year was the most extreme damaged ever to the Great Lawn of any of the concerts and if you remember last year, one rain storm and the Clive Davis concert was shut down which should’ve been done here from the rainstorm from the night before. Anyhow, Josh don’t talk selfish here and you’re not speaking on behalf of the New Yorkers especially the UES, and UWS people who value the Great Lawn as THE JEWEL of Central Park. This is October 4…We will not have the pleasure of laying down and watching the autumn leaves change on the Great Lawn this year. The wear and tear is a figment of your imagination.. the great lawn was never shut down ever by any events that were there, except for this ridiculous selfishness, that New York gets nothing from the Global Citizen Festival should take it somewhere else such as a stadium, arena, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Musical Hall….they have great venues to choose from. The only place people can actually go to now is Turtle Pond, and that will be damaged due to the heavy foot traffic. So my dear friend, wake up and smell the coffee.!!!!!
William, you do not have correct facts, nor did you apparently understand what I wrote. The Lawn is normally completely closed from the beginning of November through the middle of April (for verification check the Great Lawn webpage on the Conservancy website, or call them). There is no legal public access to it during that time, to allow for rest and maintenance, as I stated. Cross country skiing, like walking, is allowed on the paths and spaces around it, but not the Lawn itself. The areas around it, such as the Pinetum, Turtle Pond, and the other benches and spaces, remain open. There was tremendous damage from the events I referenced before 1997, when the regulations were changed after the Conservancy took over and spent millions on restoration. From regular yearly use (baseball/softball fields, dogs, frisbee, picnics, and even lying down or walking by the thousands of people that use and enjoy it) damage and stress the grass and sod, which must be addressed. Also, I said that I was not a fan of the Global events, and recognized the obvious damage done. And as bad as it is, it’s not the worst damage ever done. Finally, to disparage me personally by calling me out of touch, selfish, and imagining things does not give you any right to call me your friend, however sarcastically. I worked for over 15 years in the park, providing safety, helping to start the Marathon, and otherwise improving it for all of us. I’m also a lifetime UE and UWSider. So please re-read it again, check your facts, and stop with your perceptions coloring what you didn’t read and being derisive and divisive.
Supposing you were correct, and the “only” deprivation New Yorkers and visitors will suffer as a result of this catastrophe is that for 30 days in Autumn, they won’t be able to use the Great Lawn.
That is 30 days too many of being deprived of the Great Lawn!
You’re also quite cavalier and smug about the unsightliness of the catastrophic damage. Go away, go all the way away with your specious argumentation.
LOL ! What rock did you come from underneath?
LOL!
Most people knew based on the forecast that the lawn would be absolutely trashed. Could tarps have been put down? Could the dog owners (including myself) have not gone on the lawn for days after even though we are not supposed to be on it? Does Global Citizen as implied help repair it and why does that take until April? Not one party alone is to blame – so who owns preventing the same issue next time? Ultimately I assume it is the Parks department.
Okay a solution is to host the event in a stadium.
Thank you Gale Brewer. The Park is large so everyone
Can find another place to play. On another note the Park
Is a wonderful place for the retired and elderly not just Kids. Seniors are being held hostage in their homes because of the Chaotic streets inundated with Rule breakers speeding Bikes,Scooters, delivery Battery operated bikes. So I am here to advocate for the Elderly and Seniors who enjoy the Great Lawn. Shame on the greedy City officials who allowed this venue to go on despite the deluge of rain.
Robert – I feel for you and I agree with you what they have done to our great lawn, but don’t feel threatened that you are being held hostage anywhere in this great country of ours! Now that this organization is now being investigated to move to relocate to another location and other events also to move to other locations to stop this type of disgrace to happen again don’t feel that you have to be held hostage anywhere in this great city. Don’t let anything prevent you thinking this way, go out and enjoy life meet new friends don’t let this hold you back. Peace on your journey through your life.