Central Park’s Great Lawn Closed Until April Following Extensive Damage From Global Citizen Festival

Today, on Wednesday, October 4, The Central Park Conservancy agreed to close Central Park’s Great Lawn until April of next year. The conservancy closed the park’s lawn in response to the damage created by this year’s Global Citizen Festival. The Global Citizen Festival occurred on Saturday, September 23, with featured guests, such as Megan Thee Stallion and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Megan Thee Stallion was supposed to perform, but she had scheduling conflicts.

There has been a concern in relation to the extensive damage caused by said event.

According to Pitchfork, the conservancy decided after observing the extensive foot traffic and heavy damage to machinery due to a rainstorm. The organizers of the past music event have since agreed to pay for the damage they caused.

As a response to the extensive damage, the organizers of the Global Citizen Festival created a settlement, writing:

“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 the rain. 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. This was communicated to the Central Park Conservancy before this year’s event and after it, as always.”

Gale Brewer, who is a councilwoman for the district that included Central Park, has since made her efforts to address the festival and potentially prohibit the organizers of the Global Citizen Festival from utilizing Central Park in the future. She has since addressed her concerns to Mayor Eric Adams.