Central Park’s Great Lawn closed until April due to damage from Global Citizen Festival

Recent flooding from heavy rains and foot traffic from the Global Citizen Festival, an annual music event that draws thousands of people to Central Park’s Great Lawn, have forced the lawn to close for extensive repairs ahead of its usual fall maintenance closure, according to the organization that maintains the park.

The conservancy said it hopes to have the lawn restored by next spring — the time of year it usually reopens after an annual closure starting in November — but that the area will remain publicly inaccessible until at least April.

The Global Citizen Festival raises money to alleviate extreme poverty worldwide and has been held at Central Park since 2012. Acts at this year's event included rapper and songwriter Lauryn Hill, Jungkook of South Korean boy band BTS, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. You can read more here.

Not an ideal situation for Central Park users like myself. Thankfully there are many other amazing areas in the park to enjoy.