Central Park's iconic Great Lawn closed until spring after festival damage

Central Park’s Great Lawn was closed early for the season — until at least springtime — after being badly damaged by last month’s Global Citizen Festival, the park’s conservancy said Tuesday.

The festival, held Sept. 23 despite the rain, drew tens of thousands of attendees.

“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 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 conservancy said in a statement. “Our team is now working to restore the lawn, hopefully in time to reopen this spring.”

No cost estimate was provided.

The festival, an annual event, is meant “to drive urgent action to End Extreme Poverty NOW,” according to its website.

Headliners on the schedule included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lauryn Hill, Anitta, D-Nice, Conan Gray, Sofia Carson and Stray Kids. Festival organizers couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The lawn, which is 55 acres, typically closes for winter but this year it was closed sooner due to the damage. When not being used for large gatherings, the space is popular for sunbathing, picnicking and sports. It also hosts the New York Philharmonic.

The Global Citizen Festival wasn’t the first time that crowds attending large-scale events have worn out the Great Lawn.

A big part of the lawn was closed in 1995 for a multimillion renovation after 100,000 people attended the world premiere of Disney’s “Pocahontas,” and later that year 120,000 came for Catholic Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II.

“After ‘Pocahontas’ and the pope,” the conservancy head said in 1995, “there’s nothing left.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.