New York’s iconic Radio City Music Hall plans to reopen at 100% capacity on June 19, 2021 for the last night of the Tribeca Film Festival. A spokesman for the venue’s parent corporation, the Madison Square Garden Company, stated that it will remain open after that date for people who have been vaccinated.
At a news conference inside of the venue, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated, “This beautiful hall will be filled once again. Having Radio City back at 100 percent, without masks, with people enjoying New York, and the New York arts, is going to be not only symbolic and metaphoric, but I think it’s going to go a long way toward bringing back this state.”
However, Madison Square Garden Company hasn’t confirmed how vaccination will be enforced. Their Executive Chairman/Chief Executive James L. Dolan responded to a question of that nature by saying, “That’s a really good question, I have no idea. We will be working with the state, and we will figure out a way for it to happen.”
Dolan also said that the venue was scheduling a “blockbuster summer,” which comes as a pleasant surprise to the company. He stated, “We didn’t think this was going to happen. We were really planning on a blockbuster fall.”
Cuomo commented that he hopes the private sector will help his initiative to encourage vaccinations. “Here’s another incentive, nothing to do with government: Private venues, I encourage them to have a high percentage available for vaccinated people,” he suggested. “Radio City is going to be 100%, I encourage that, because that’s an incentive for people to get vaccinated… In some ways, I think the private sector can offer more effective incentives than government can.” He continued, “If you’re unvaccinated, that’s your choice. but you can’t go into the Radio City Music Hall with vaccinated people.”
The next event on Radio City Music Hall’s event schedule at this time is Gabriel Iglesias on August 19, 2021. Other acts including Ana Gabriel, John Legend, Jim Gaffigan and more are set to follow. That said, Dolan’s comment about a “blockbuster summer” implies that they’re working on fitting many more events in between June 19 and August 19, including some rescheduled concerts.
We welcome back the arts with the @Tribeca Festival this June.
It will be the first in-person film festival to take place in North America since before COVID.
On 6/19, Radio City Music Hall will host the festival’s Closing Night: 100% vaccinated, full capacity & no masks.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 17, 2021