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Large Section of Great Lawn Closed Until at Least April Following ‘Damage’ From Global Citizen Festival

October 3, 2023 | 9:31 AM
in NEWS, OUTDOORS
43
The state of the Great Lawn following the Global Citizen Festival on September 23. Courtesy of Gale Brewer’s Office.

By West Side Rag Editorial Staff

A significant portion of the Great Lawn in Central Park will be closed to the public until at least April, 2024, following “damage” from the Global Citizen Festival that took place at the end of September, according to Upper West Side Councilmember Gale Brewer.

“The combination of heavy rain, foot traffic, and machinery used for staging destroyed one-third of the Great Lawn,” Brewer wrote in a letter to Mayor Eric Adams. “The Central Park Conservancy determined the extent of the damage necessitates immediate closure of the lawn for re-seeding. As a result, 12-acres of public greenspace will be unavailable to New Yorkers until April 2024 or later, all to accommodate a one-day event.”

Brewer also “urged” the mayor and Parks Department Commissioner Sue Donoghue to find a venue other than Central Park to host the annual festival. This year’s festival happened on a very rainy September 23, which added to the damage.

“I have never been a fan of the Global Citizen Festival,” Brewer added.

Tens of thousands of Global Citizen Festival-goers packed the soggy Great Lawn at the end of September to listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lauryn Hill and more. It also rained between four and five inches in Central Park on the days following the concert.

“This year’s rainfall meant closer alignment with city agencies and stakeholders than ever before,” a spokesperson for Global Citizen told the West Side Rag. “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.”

The Global Citizen spokesperson added that the organization will work 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.”

A spokesperson from the Central Park Conservancy said the organization was “very disappointed” to be shuttering the Great Lawn section 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,” the Central Park Conservancy spokesperson said. “Our team is now working to restore the lawn, hopefully in time to reopen this spring.”

It is worth noting that the Great Lawn does close normally from mid-to-late November through April to let the lawn rest each year, but the green space had to be shuttered immediately following the Global Citizen concert on September 23 — meaning that New Yorkers are missing out on close to two months of Great Lawn access during the beloved fall season in the park.

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43 Comments
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Ped Estrian
Ped Estrian
1 year ago

Global Citizen Festival. Citizens destroying the globe.

46
Reply
Anna
Anna
1 year ago
Reply to  Ped Estrian

Another hypocritical thing about it was torturing all the animals in the park with that intensely loud noise. A lot of animals have much more sensitive hearing than humans and were probably very frightened and miserable the entire day. For all we know, the ones closest to the event may have had permanent damage to their hearing.

3
Reply
Shawna
Shawna
1 year ago
Reply to  Ped Estrian

Yes. The people who proclaim the loudest that they’re saving the planet are usually the ones doing the most damage.

15
Reply
asil
asil
1 year ago
Reply to  Ped Estrian

This almost seems like an april fools joke

14
Reply
life long upper-west-sider
life long upper-west-sider
1 year ago
Reply to  asil

This was NO JOKE to neighborhood residents forced to endure excruciatingly loud NOISE for HOURS for TWO days in a row.

15
Reply
S G
S G
1 year ago
Reply to  asil

More like spot on!

1
Reply
Bob
Bob
1 year ago

I agree that it is absolutely ridiculous for a 1-day event to be allowed to render 1.5% of Central Park’s area unusable for at least half a year. Why can’t this event be held on a hard surface, since it’s held during what is often the rainiest time of the year? Or at a stadium/event center that is meant to be robust?

39
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Wendy
Wendy
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob

it’s actually not for half a year, it is already closed for 4 months. This just hastened that closure….

6
Reply
Eyes on the Street👀
Eyes on the Street👀
1 year ago
Reply to  Wendy

It’s gonna take up to the middle of June to repair this damage. Today’s October 4 –
8 months!!!!!!!

2
Reply
Eyes in the SKY
Eyes in the SKY
1 year ago
Reply to  Eyes on the Street👀

Source? The article above literally says they’re aiming for mid-April…

0
Reply
Eyes on the Street👀
Eyes on the Street👀
1 year ago
Reply to  Eyes in the SKY

In your dreams, come back to me in April. You’re looking at June 2024. Have you been over there to see the damage?
It’s a disgrace.!
And if you live in New York City, it’s on your dime.

3
Reply
$$$$
$$$$
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob

Ask the CP Conservancy & Parks Dept. They’re the ones who arrange this festival to rake in fees that, prior to Bloomberg’s sweetheart deals, were paid annually by the Mets & Yankees for Shea & Yankee Stadium. Those properties were transferred from the Parks Dept into private hands under Lil Mike, costing the city tens of millions annually

17
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AnonUWSider
AnonUWSider
1 year ago

WIll the Global Citizen Festival pay for the damage?

21
Reply
Calla Lilly
Calla Lilly
1 year ago
Reply to  AnonUWSider

The Global Citizen spokesperson added that the organization will work 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.”

8
Reply
Gen Xer
Gen Xer
1 year ago

I would hope that the cost of repairs, etc are borne by the event sponsor.

18
Reply
Calla Lilly
Calla Lilly
1 year ago
Reply to  Gen Xer

The Global Citizen spokesperson added that the organization will work 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.”

3
Reply
Bob
Bob
1 year ago

This same festival also spent more than a week blocking one of the entrances to the park, and moving heavy machinery on sidewalks. Even in the best case, it was a huge inconvenience to people who were just trying to use the park. And now this?

I hope at least the city is getting the organizers to pay for the damage.

30
Reply
Liz
Liz
1 year ago

Definitely Global Citizen should have been required to provide a “security deposit.” Can’t believe the contract wouldn’t spell out the responsibility of repairing any damage.
On a related note, does anyone know why electronic music blares every morning from the modern sound stage behind the Central Park Bandshell just south of 72nd Street? I’ve heard it on several occasions and it certainly spoils the experience of walking through the park in quiet contemplation of nature!

15
Reply
neighbor785
neighbor785
1 year ago
Reply to  Liz

One can hear bongo drums at night constantly. The sound comes from somewhere near the Boat House and reverberates across The Lake. Same effect – spoils the experience of quiet contemplation for blocks and blocks.

6
Reply
Ellen Pliskin
Ellen Pliskin
1 year ago

The Event sponsors even removed metal Park Benches at 79st. How were they allowed to do that.

6
Reply
Dorit straus
Dorit straus
1 year ago

Not to mention the noise ! Another kind of pollution

17
Reply
MDF
MDF
1 year ago

Their president, Hugh Evans, is paid over $400,000 to put on these concerts. In 2021, the total for salaries was over $3 million. They spend millions producing concerts.. from http://www.showbiz411.com

4
Reply
S G
S G
1 year ago

This is shameful and should result in terminating or moving the “Global Citizen Event” BTW, what does that even mean?

16
Reply
josh
josh
1 year ago

I have a strong feeling that this is a completely fake charity/non-profit. I doubt there’s any money left over for ‘giving’ after all the artists, roadies, and GC staff get paid.

17
Reply
patrick l
patrick l
1 year ago
Reply to  josh

all it does is bother us UWSers trying to run in the park with their trucks in and out for days

9
Reply
.Jo Silverman
.Jo Silverman
1 year ago
Reply to  josh

That is definitely something to think about. Maybe the mayor has answers. But then aagain . . .

5
Reply
Betty
Betty
1 year ago
Reply to  josh

I can’t believe the event was actually held, and not cancelled that day!!

11
Reply
life long upper-west-sider
life long upper-west-sider
1 year ago

The NOISE which went on for two days made my life a living hell. I live on the corner of 75th and Amsterdam on a high floor and the insistent unrelenting THUMPING and what passes for music made all my neighbors miserable and we had no idea where it was coming from. I called 311 THREE times but was unable to tell them exactly where it was coming from; I was told the police came to my area and said there was no noise and left. Which is INSANE, Helen Keller could have heard it. I don’t understand why the police or the people at 311 could have possibly not known about this event. It is unforgivable for these city agencies to be completely clueless! Desperate residents who work at home and whose very furniture vibrated from the noise all the way from Central Park deserve SO much better.. So much for city agencies. So profoundly maddening and disappointing. Where are our tax dollars going??!

15
Reply
Susan
Susan
1 year ago

Very difficult to believe that Global Citizens, and all event holders , aren’t required to post a bond equivalent to the possible cost of damage based upon expected number of attendees plus equipment usage for setup and breakdown.

4
Reply
Barbara
Barbara
1 year ago

From someone I know who works the Global Citizens event, the money paid by the organizers to use the park covers 100% of the Central Park Conservancy annual spending. Even though Gail Brewer is “not a fan.”

4
Reply
David S
David S
1 year ago
Reply to  Barbara

“…the money paid by the organizers to use the park covers 100% of the Central Park Conservancy annual spending.”

As per the Conservancy website, their annual budget is $74 million. Do you really think that Global Citizen pays that to use the park for two days?

I think that “someone” you know is either terribly misinformed, or just making thing up.

14
Reply
Wanda
Wanda
1 year ago

Who is responsible for overseeing the set up and dismantling of this event? Whoever that is should have not allowed the heavy machinery to destroy our property.

7
Reply
LocalCitizen
LocalCitizen
1 year ago

Is there any evidence that a music concert can solve problems of social inequality or environmental degradation? At least just call it what it is, a fun time to burn one down and listen to some jams at the expense of locals (aka the milking cows that pay taxes).

13
Reply
Stevie Arveri
Stevie Arveri
1 year ago

I attended the event that Saturday and while I did have fun, what was not fun was the mud and the absolute downpour that was hitting us literally all day. I was complaining to my friend that it didn’t make sense to hold this on the grass and dirt, esp in the rain. I couldn’t even wear my glasses it was so bad! And I turned out to be correct! It absolutely *was* a bad idea to have it on the grass and dirt in the actual pouring rain. My sneakers smelled awful for days 🤢😵‍💫🙄

2
Reply
Ken
Ken
1 year ago

I’d love to see an investigative piece on how much the City gets for this and other privatizations of the world’s most famous public park, and how much CO2 was expended in the set-up and take-down. I saw a LOT of tractor trailers on CPW.

10
Reply
Deb
Deb
1 year ago

They’ve been doing this event for over 10 years, and this is the first complaint about the Great Lawn? Let’s get real – if it hadn’t rained forever, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. As for Gale Brewer’s comment, she has no idea what Global Citizen is. The concert is not a money making event, so for her to expect the city to get a cut of the proceeds is ludicrous. Maybe she would be more amenable if she could choose the musicians.

4
Reply
StevenCinNYC
StevenCinNYC
1 year ago

I agree completely. Let’s get prevent this event from coming back to Central Park, blocking off paths for days, disrupting use of the park, and making lots of noise on top of the volume of the event itself. We don’t need it here. Move it someplace where they want it. We don’t. Maybe they can send all the NJ helicopters circling over Central Park along with them.

9
Reply
Anna
Anna
1 year ago

I think the noise was the worst this year. Our entire apartment was shaking at times and we aren’t even that close to the park. It doesn’t surprise me that the people running things were irresponsible about the Great Lawn.

4
Reply
TW Baskins
TW Baskins
1 year ago

With the newly proposed tax hike on NY’s wealthiest, why not use some of the proceeds to replace Central Park’s lawns with astro-turf?

0
Reply
Homeearly
Homeearly
1 year ago

I am sure if there was an NFL game (or some other high value event) scheduled for that lawn the next day it would have been pristine.

0
Reply
I LOVE UWS
I LOVE UWS
1 year ago

This is a disgrace to New York City what the Global Citizen Festival did to our great lawn . They should not be allowed back. This type of event should be held inside a venue. This organization knew what was going to happen a week ahead of time, and the night before with that torrential rain before the major storm came in the next day. The residence of the Upper East side, and Westside and tourist now cannot enjoy the great lawn for the rest of the season and possibly into the next six months after the new year, June 2024! I am happy what I saw on CBS News this morning about this incident and NY1. The Global Citizens Festival is a very selfish organization how they handle this matter. Yes, people should be upset and my kudos go’s to Gale Brewer for being on top of this.
We should put a stop to any type of large Events on the great lawn. It was too much taxpayers money spent repairing this lawn every year after year because of the Global Citizen Festival!
actually there should be no large events on the Great Lawn, which is our jewel of Central Park and the upper West/East side. Now, because of this organization, we cannot enjoy our autumn and the end of the season through Thanksgiving. This is a total disgrace and unacceptable!

5
Reply
Reality Can Be Hard
Reality Can Be Hard
1 year ago

Sadly, the Conservancy sold out to corporate sponsors long ago.
The pretty much destroyed much of the volunteer program that offered great opportunities for many New Yorkers who are passionate about the park.
The existing program is a shell of its former self.
And to allow these events during a rainstorm. A child can predict that a huge mass of people on a grass lawn during a rainstorm will destroy the lawn.
But it’s all corporate corporate corporate.
I removed them from my charitable giving and estate planning a couple of years ago.

2
Reply
kirstanuci
kirstanuci
1 year ago

Just re-sod it. It’s not that complicated. And charged re-sodding fee to anyone who books, uses, and intends to use the space.
Also, have it insured for re-sodding.
If they can’t afford the fees they can’t rent it out and and and “blackout all rain events.”
It’s all common sense business.

2
Reply

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