The Plant-Eating Goats Of Riverside Park Are Baack: Here's When To See Them

HARLEM, NY — One of the West Side's beloved neighborhood summer traditions, the Riverside Park goats, will return to the community in July.

For the second year in a row, the fuzzy summer interns will work at their job site in Riverside Park at West 143rd Street, north of their previous location on 120th Street, where they will munch on poison ivy and other invasive plants, and create nutrient-rich soil starting July 12.

Hosted by the Riverside Park Conservancy, five voracious goats will participate in their first-ever Graze-Off competition on July 12 to kick off their summer of weed-eating.

The event, aptly titled "Goatham 2025: The Great Goat Graze-Off" will be overseen by George Shea of Major League Eating, best known for hosting Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, according to the event's website.

This summer, the four-legged team will be making the journey from Green Goats in Rhinebeck to the big city, including two returning goats, Mallomar and Romeo. In 2023, the public crowned Mallomar the G.O.A.T.

The goats' uptown location aligns with the Riverside Park Conservancy's goal to bring more resources, maintenance and programming to the uptown section of the park.

The Graze-Off starts at 11 a.m. on July 12, and lasts until 1:30 p.m. at 151st Street and West Side Highway. The rain date for the event is July 19.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.