Mayor On Central Park Festival Mayhem: 'Parks Belong To The People'

CENTRAL PARK, NY - Mayor Eric Adams won’t be calling on music festival organizers to scram from Central Park anytime soon.

In a letter to the mayor dated Monday, New York City council member Gale Brewer urged Adams to cancel future iterations of the annual Global Citizen Festival at Central Park after this year's event in September wreaked havoc on most of the park's Great Lawn and destroyed a third of it.

The destruction resulted in the immediate closure of the lawn until at least next April for re-seeding, Brewer said (the lawn is typically closed from November to April for maintenance). Brewer’s letter, initially shared by the West Side Rag, attributed the destruction to heavy foot traffic, torrential rainfall and large machinery used by festival crews.

“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,” a spokesperson from the Central Park Conservancy, which manages the park, told Patch. “Our team is now working to restore the lawn, hopefully in time to reopen this spring.”

When asked about his response to Brewer’s letter at a news conference Tuesday, Adams squashed the possibility of the festival’s relocation.

“We’re not looking to damage the Great Lawn, but I don’t want to damage the lawn in Prospect Park, I don’t want to damage the lawn anywhere,” Adams said. “And so, the parks belong to the people and we should all share the use of the parks, and no park is better than the others.”

Adams noted that he would be in further communication with Brewer to address her concerns.

A festival spokesperson told Patch that Global Citizen organizers followed all protocols and are responsible for all costs associated with damages. It was not immediately clear how much the festival incurred in damages, or if the damages this year were significantly greater than in years past.

Brewer told the New York Times the repairs are estimated to cost about $1 million.

The music festival draws about 60,000 attendees each year, according to the festival's Instagram page, although that number reportedly dwindled this year due to inclement weather. This year's performers included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jungkook and Lauryn Hill, among others.

In an email to Patch, a Global Citizen spokesperson pointed to NYC Parks’ decision not to cancel the festival due to heavy rain, thunder and lightning forecast for the festival date.

“NYC Parks cancels permitted events when conditions such as thunder and lightning make them unsafe for attendees,” the spokesperson said.

“In this case, rain before, during, and after the concert event did not jeopardize attendee safety, but did contribute to damage to the Great Lawn in Central Park.”