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Forest Hills Stadium hosts sold-out music festival next month — despite neighbors' litigation
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Aug 25, 2024
Modified Aug 27, 2024
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Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Aug 25, 2024
Modified Aug 27, 2024
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Thousands of concertgoers will flock to Forest Hills Stadium in Queens next month to attend a sold-out music festival – drawing the ire of residents determined to stop the noise.
Chappell Roan, Janelle Monae and Renee Rapp are some of the artists set to headline the All Things Go music festival on Sept. 28-29, mere weeks after a Queens judge dismissed a lawsuit aimed at shutting down concerts at the stadium for good.
“They don’t care about the neighborhood,” said resident Willie Ha, who lives half a block from the stadium. “When the concerts are let loose, you see all the people walking around, going to the bathroom, and you’ve got Uber drivers parking — it’s a mess.”
The 13,000-capacity venue -- a former tennis club -- turned 100 last year and hosts dozens of concerts and festivals annually. But for decades, it has also drawn complaints from residents fed up with the noise.
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection has filed noise code violations against the venue.
About a decade ago, Forest Hill Stadium implemented about $500,000 worth of noise-suppression measures, including a concrete fence and stairway covers. More recently, it also installed new noise-muffling devices at the city's request.
And the battle is far from over. The number of 311 complaints about the venue’s noise levels skyrocketed between 2022 and 2023, according to an analysis from Gothamist. And although a lawsuit aimed at permanently banning concerts at the venue was recently dismissed, another lawsuit filed by the Forest Hills Gardens Corp. – which owns the private streets and sidewalks near the stadium – is still under review.
Meanwhile, residents should expect next month’s event to attract a large, boisterous crowd. Headliner Chappell Roan’s record-breaking Lollapalooza set on Aug. 1 drew the festival’s largest crowd ever.
A Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson told Gothamist that it is “trying to work with the stadium to help them find ways to lessen the noise from concerts.”
“We have held several meetings with the Forest Hills community and have been monitoring noise at the stadium,” the agency’s deputy commissioner, Beth DeFalco, said.
But not everyone in the area is dreading the noise — like Jonathan Chan, 47, who moved four blocks away from the stadium earlier this year.
“I have no problem with the noise. I love live music, My whole family loves live music,” he said. “So I actually think it’s great for the area.”
Chan said he isn’t surprised by the lawsuits filed by his neighbors because “everyone is going to be offended by something here.”
While he understands the frustration from those living across the street, Chan said the music doesn't faze him.
“I come out here, walking my dog, and we actually enjoy the music and sometimes we sit outside, or open the windows,” he said.
Although the stadium's noise makes it difficult for renter Samantha Tal, 34, to put her child to sleep, she said she acknowledges the business it attracts to the area.
“It’s a pretty iconic neighborhood and I don’t think you find many in New York City and you definitely want to preserve the character of it,” Tal said. “Having a concert here on the weeknights, in the fall or in the summertime might change things a little bit.”
John Kelly, a spokesperson for Forest Hills Stadium and the West Side Tennis Club, which partially owns the venue, said the stadium strives to be an "ideal" neighbor and will host music until 10 p.m. on 37 nights this year.
"We love Forest Hills and happily contribute the Stadium, money, time and our people to local causes and community organizations," he said in a written statement. "Over the past 11 years, we have spent millions of dollars rehabilitating a century-old jewel including a significant sound mitigation effort. Noise may be the banner issue for a loud few intent on disrupting the Stadium, but it is a larger and more complex story."
This story has been updated to correctly state when the All Things Go music festival will take place and to include a statement from John Kelly.
Tagged
public safety
queens
Music
art
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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