There won’t be any mega music festivals in Flushing Meadows Corona Park this year.
A proposal by Coachella promoters to bring a three-day music festival to the park has been denied, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz announced on Monday.
Goldenvoice had been in talks with city officials to bring Panorama Festival to the park in June. The plan was met with skepticism from the start, with Katz arguing that a for-profit company had never held a paid-admission concert there.
Panorama Festival will take place on Randall’s Island Park instead.
Two weeks ago, several elected officials and community groups announced their support for the plan, which included a commitment to local hiring for jobs in connection to the festival, a chance for Queens eateries to sell their food on the grounds and a donation to the recently created Flushing Meadows Corona Park Alliance.
Ultimately, the Parks Department decided to deny all applications by for-profit companies to hold paid events at the park, citing the importance of establishing an official policy for these kinds of events. Katz applauded the decision in a press release Monday evening.
“Events of any scale that enhance our borough are encouraged. The use of our public parks, however, need to be publicly vetted and coordinated under an official city policy, because the absence of one renders the entire process unfair,” Katz said in a statement. “The merits – or lack thereof – of any existing or future individual application cannot be fairly considered in the void of policy and public participation, which are paramount.”
Madison Square Garden also submitted an application to hold a three-day festival at the park, which was also denied.
Goldenvoice announced on Monday that Panorama Festival will take place on Randall’s Island Park instead. The three-day music festival will take place on July 22 through July 24 instead of June. Governor’s Ball organizers created a petition several months ago, asking De Blasio to deny the company’s application, fearing that it would directly compete with the independent festival.
A spokesperson for Goldenvoice, which is owned by AEG Live, said the company has not yet ruled out a future music festival in the “World’s Borough.”
“Goldenvoice has received tremendous support from the local community and elected officials who recognize the immense economic benefits these types of events deliver to their businesses and constituents,” said Mark Shulman, festival producer at Goldenvoice. “We’re committed to creating an event that will provide significant benefits to New York City with the level of experience and meticulous attention to detail for which Goldenvoice is known.”
