Ahead of its 10th year anniversary in 2020, organizers at New York City’s Governors Ball music festival are considering a venue change that would move the annual weekend event away from its longtime home on Randall’s Island. THE CITY reports that the company behind Governors Ball, Founders Entertainment, is seriously pursuing the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park as its new home in the coming years.
Founders Entertainment’s Tom Russell confirmed the company’s potential location change with the report shared on Wednesday in saying, “A lot of people are very interested and excited about the idea.”
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Not everyone is interested or excited about the possibility of a major venue change for New York’s most popular summer music festival. The Department of Parks and Recreation has already reviewed and denied the application for a permit to hold the festival at Van Cortlandt Park on June 5th-7th, 2020. In addition to the DPR citing community impact concerns, neighborhood leaders do not believe the park can accommodate the needs of the festival.
Bronx Borough Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa penned a letter to Founders Entertainment obtained by THE CITY which read, “The department has determined that the park is not a viable venue for an event of this size and duration … Moreover, the park has not hosted events of this size and duration before.”
Russell is appealing the decision made by the committee and hopes to resolve the issues surrounding a new venue by January, according to committee documents provided in the report. If the park is going to work as a suitable venue for the roughly 50,000 people expected to attend each day, logistical and weather concerns must be addressed.
Fans will remember that this past year’s festival was cut short due to severe weather. Combining a bad weather scenario with tens of thousands of people on-site could cause damage to the grounds in addition to making for a transportation nightmare. Russell assured the committee that Founders Entertainment would take full responsibility for any damage caused in the area.
Regardless of the venue, fans should expect lots of surprises for the 10th edition of the Governors Ball Music Festival. While a lineup has not been released for next year’s festivities, presale tickets are now available on the event’s official website.
[H/T THE CITY]