Brace yourselves, New Yorkers: Coachella may be making its way to the city. The New York Daily News reports that the festival's producers, AEG Live, are in talks with city officials to bring a large-scale music festival to NYC—and no, not to Brooklyn or Randall's Island. Flushing Meadows–Corona Park has been scoped out as the site for it, and the organizers are clearly taking inspiration from the location for the festival's name: Panorama, as in the scale-model of the five boroughs that was created for the 1964 World's Fair (it's on permanent display at the Queens Museum). According to the Daily News, AEG has earmarked the weekend of June 16 for the hullabaloo, and is already getting acts on board.
Historically, New York City hasn't had the best luck with music festivals: Iterations of All Points West (also an AEG joint) and Lollapalooza failed to take off here, while the Great GoogaMooga in Prospect Park flamed out after its first year. One of the few success stories has been Governors Ball, which began on Governors Island in 2011; it's since moved to Randall's Island and brought acts like Kanye West, Outkast, and the Strokes to the city. But the timing of Panorama—two weeks after the 2016 edition of Governors Ball—could hinder the success of the older festival, which is still independently owned and operated. Tom Russell, a partner at Founders Entertainment, the company that runs the fest, told the Daily News:
"The timing of this corporate-run festival would threaten our ability as a small business to continue putting on the kind of event that has showcased the best artists, created hundreds of local jobs and put millions of dollars back into the city's economy." Governors Ball brought about $40 million to the city in 2014. But the hubbub surrounding Panorama could just be that—as of right now, neither AEG nor city officials are confirming 100 percent that the event is happening. "While we encourage public events of any scale that enhance our borough, this proposal appears to raise significant concerns, especially the precedent it would potentially set," said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. She also noted that the park hadn't been used for such a large event before, so many details—traffic, admission prices, and the like—would have to be worked out prior to proceeding.
Still, it may be time to start prepping your festival outfit—or booking a ticket out of town, if the thought of battling flower crown-wearing, probably drunken masses on the 7 train gives you hives.
· EXCLUSIVE: Producers behind Coachella eyeing Flushing Meadows Corona Park for 2016 music festival [NYDN]
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