Popular Lawn in New York Central Park to Close Until April Next Year

The Great Lawn, one of the most popular picnic spots in Central Park, New York, was reported by The New York Times (NYT) on the 4th (local time) to be closed until April next year due to a large-scale concert and heavy rain last month.

The Central Park Conservancy confirmed the early closure, stating in a press release, "We are very disappointed that New Yorkers will not be able to enjoy this fall on the iconic Great Lawn."

The 12-acre Great Lawn is typically closed to the public from mid-November to April each year for lawn maintenance and repairs. However, this year, the closure was moved up by about six weeks due to damage to the lawn and heavy rain during the 'Global Citizen Festival' held at the end of last month.

About 30,000 spectators gathered for the festival held on the Great Lawn on the 23rd of last month, featuring performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and BTS's Jungkook. Although this was about half the usual attendance, approximately one-third of the lawn was damaged due to the heavy rain and other factors.

Gail Brewer, the city council member representing the area, estimated that the repair costs could reach up to $1 million. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation stated that they have not yet fully assessed the damage. Global Citizen, the festival organizer, said it will work with Central Park to estimate the damage and raise funds for restoration.

The Great Lawn has been damaged several times before due to various large-scale events. In 1991, 600,000 people attended Paul Simon's free concert, and in 1995, 100,000 people gathered for the screening of the Disney movie 'Pocahontas.' After 120,000 people attended Pope John Paul II's mass in 1995, the Great Lawn was closed for two years for restoration. The restoration at that time cost $18.2 million. In response, Central Park introduced a rule limiting attendance at public events held on the Great Lawn to 50,000 people, but it was canceled due to lawsuits and other issues. According to the park authorities, the current capacity limit is 60,000 people.