Central Park SummerStage is getting an extensive makeover for next summer’s concert season. The flagship venue of the City Park Foundation‘s long-running SummerStage series. The venue, located in the heart of New York City’s iconic Central Park at the Rumsey Playfield, will be revamped with a new stage, cover, and sound system in addition to new lighting and video infrastructure. The upgraded venue will have improved sightlines for fans in general admission and will include a VIP section with seating and covering.
As the City Parks Foundation’s executive director, Heather Lubov, explained to Billboard, “We are thrilled to unveil our new venue for our 2019 season and are excited to be ushering in a new era of City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage with a venue that has been planned holistically, one that enhances both the audience’s and the artists’ experience.”
As Billboard notes,
The Central Park venue will see a 20 percent increase in diameter for its stage canopy and foundational support will be reinforced to accommodate the weight load of larger productions. The new stage will include a front thrust, added side wings and LED screens on either side.
Bleacher seating will be raised for better sightlines and ground seating with chairs will be added for up to 1,900 guests. The venue’s full capacity can hold up to 5,500. VIP areas will have increased capacity along with designated bleacher space, backstage bar and air-conditioned bathrooms.
The updated venue will now feature improved backstage accommodations with new greenrooms, private viewing area for artists and guests, upgraded dressing rooms and a backstage patio area. The renovations will also include improved ADA access and various hydration stations throughout the footprint.
Central Par SummerStage was originally founded in 1986 at the Naumberg Bandshell, which sits adjacent to the current SummerStage venue inside the park. While the bandshell remains in use for a variety of smaller-scale community events and exhibitions, SummerStage shifted their base of operations to the Rumsey Playfield in 1990. SummerStage presents 30 free events each year in Central Park in addition to other free events in parks throughout the city’s five boroughs. The City Park Foundation funds these free events with the profits from their roughly twenty annual ticketed shows at the main Central Park venue.
This year’s lineup of Central Park SummerStage ticketed offerings included performances by Phil Lesh, Trey Anastasio, Dispatch, Trombone Shorty, Pete Rock, Old Crow Medicine Show, OAR, Mac DeMarco, Blood Orange, and many more.
For more information about Central Park SummerStage, head here.
[H/T Billboard]
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