The Great Lawn in Central Park will remain closed to New Yorkers through at least next year after sustaining extensive damage during the annual Global Citizen Festival last month, the conservancy that manages the park said Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy said 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 is very disappointed that the iconic Great Lawn is now closed and unavailable for New Yorkers to enjoy this fall,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Our team is now working to restore the lawn, hopefully in time to reopen this spring.”
Global Citizen Festival is a free, ticketed music festival founded in 2012 and organized by Global Poverty Project. Concertgoers score tickets by taking action to help end extreme poverty via the Global Citizen app or website.
The event, which is held annually in Central Park with the goal of ending poverty across the globe, draws thousands of attendees each year.
In a letter sent to Mayor Eric Adams, Upper West Side City Councilmember Gale Brewer said she believed the festival should be relocated to protect the landscape of the park.
Twelve acres of green space will be closed to the public as restoration work continues, Brewer said.
“I have never been a fan of the Global Citizen Festival because so little, if any, of the grants are allocated to non-profits in New York City. However, I believe the festival brings in $2 million to the general fund,” she wrote. “I urge you to schedule the Global Citizen Festival in a venue other than Central Park, such as an arena or stadium.”
In response, a spokesperson for the Global Citizen Festival said the event “has taken place in Central Park for the last 11 years in close collaboration with the City of New York, its agencies, and the Central Park Conservancy."
The spokesperson said damage to the Great Lawn may have been caused by the intense rainfall the city saw in the days after the festival.
While about an inch of rain fell on Central Park on the day of the event, nearly 6 inches fell on the park over the next few days as storms brought downpours to much of the city.
“This year’s rainfall meant closer alignment with City agencies and stakeholders than ever before,” the spokesperson said. “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 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,” the spokesperson added.
Asked about the damage at a news briefing on Tuesday, Adams said, "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 lawns anywhere. 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. So I'll find out exactly what is the reason [Brewer] wants to get that done, and I'll communicate and find out."
Responding to request for comment Tuesday, the city's Department of Parks and Recreation said festival organizers followed all permitting protocols.
The department said rain that fell before, after and the day of the event contributed to the damage, adding that the Great Lawn is closed to the public each year for maintenance between November and April.
"While we share New Yorkers’ frustration, we have had a positive relationship with the Global Citizen Festival producers and are confident any damages will be remedied expeditiously," a spokesperson for the agency said.