A portion of Central Park's Great Lawn – one of the most popular event venues in New York City – is closed for public use after suffering significant damage during the Global Citizen Festival late last month.
"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 Central Park Conservancy said of the decision in a statement Tuesday.
"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 statement continued.
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A woman listens during a soundcheck by musicians from Earth, Wind and Fire at Central Parks Great Lawn in New York on August 20, 2021. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
The annual music festival, which featured acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lauryn Hill and others, brought 30,000 people to the park this year, a major dropoff from its typical 60,000 event goers, according to the New York Times.
Combined with conditions from a heavy rainstorm, the soil suffered significant damage, and, according to the conservancy, a third of the lawn was "fully destroyed" and will need to be re-seeded.
Councilwoman Gale Brewer, whose district includes Central Park, wrote a letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams Monday requesting that the festival no longer be held in Central Park as it has for years.
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Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han of Kpop band 3RACHA/Stray Kids are seen at the 2023 Global Citizen Festival on September 22, 2023, in New York City. (Gotham/WireImage)
"I have never been a fan of the Global Citizen Festival because of so little, if any, of the grants are allocated to non-profits in New York City," she wrote in the letter, shared to X, formerly Twitter, by West Side Rage senior reporter Gus Saltonstall.
"However, I believe the festival brings in $2 million to the general fund. I urge you to schedule the Global Citizen Festival in a venue other than Central Park, such as an arena or stadium," she continued.
Brewer was critical of the festival for marching "full speed ahead" despite poor weather conditions.
The Great Lawn is expected to reopen next year, presumably April or later, depending on the extent of the damage. The park is closed from November to April every year, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
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