Photo courtesy of Chris Lavado
The shows at Forest Hills Stadium will go on this season, as neighborhood residents and venue officials have reached a deal in their long-running dispute. On Monday, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that Tiebreaker Productions, the stadium’s concert partner, has agreed to hire private security to patrol the privately owned streets around the venue—satisfying demands from the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation (FHGC), which in March blocked the city from accessing those roads. Last month, the venue had reportedly been denied amplification permits, putting the entire concert season at risk.
Richards celebrated the agreement in a post on Instagram, looking ahead to this year’s exciting concert lineup.
“For everyone who’s been wondering if this year’s Forest Hills Stadium concert series will go on, the answer is YES. I’m proud to say that an agreement has been struck that will allow the annual concert series to proceed uninterrupted.”
Richards continued: “Let’s be clear: Forest Hills Stadium is a cultural crown jewel bringing diverse crowds from all over the world to Queens every summer through the unifying power of music. This historic venue boosts Forest Hills economy and is emblematic of all that makes Queens great.”
Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, told Gothamist that the NYPD has approved an “alternative security plan” for the stadium, which includes a comprehensive private security strategy for the May 31 concert. The preliminary approval allows the concerts to proceed, provided the stadium adheres to the city’s noise code and ensures adequate security measures.
The announcement marks the latest chapter in a years-long dispute between neighborhood residents and Forest Hills Stadium. For years, neighbors have raised concerns about excessive noise from concerts at the open-air venue and the crowds of attendees who flood the typically quiet streets.
Residents claim the noise from the venue rattles their walls, even cracking the plaster, according to images obtained by the Post. Locals say this has severely impacted their quality of life during the summer, keeping them up late at night and causing concern about rowdy concertgoers, some of whom have been captured urinating or littering on nearby lawns, as 6sqft previously reported.
In response, the venue has spent millions on sound mitigation, implemented a 10 p.m. curfew for shows, and taken other measures. However, residents say 11 of the 36 concerts hosted last summer exceeded local decibel limits.
Last month, the dispute reached a boiling point when the stadium’s new sound amplification permits were denied after the FHGC blocked the city from accessing the private roads surrounding the venue.
According to a letter obtained by the New York Post, the NYPD said it could not ensure public safety without access to those roads, which led the city to revoke the concert permits. That left the fate of the shows hanging on whether the FHGC and stadium officials could strike a deal before the first scheduled concert on May 31.
Earlier this month, Borough President Richards accused neighborhood residents of racism, claiming their opposition to the concerts stemmed from discomfort with the diverse crowds the events attract. He also sent a letter to Mayor Eric Adams urging him to help broker a solution, as reported by Gothamist.
Richards plans to keep working with the stadium to ensure long-term improvements, including further sound mitigation and community engagement.
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