By Leslie Albrecht and Serena Solomon
MIDTOWN — Tonight's going to be a good night.
The rescheduled Black Eyed Peas concert is set to bring 60,000 fans to Central Park Friday, raising cash for the poverty fighting Robin Hood Foundation.
Despite thunderstorms in recent days, forecasters are predicting patchy showers with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees for the sold-out show. The original concert scheduled for June was canceled at the last minute due to thunderstorms.
For those lucky enough to have scored the free tickets necessary for the event on the Great Lawn, it was a tough job fending off those wanting to get them.
“I’m not selling the black eyed peas…” Twitter user @beeeaamm wrote to a follower. “Now everyone keeps asking me because of you!”
Others showed their excitement for the event.
“BLACK EYED PEAS AFTER WORK!!!!!!!!” @Jessi_dean tweeted.
Here is what neighbors and concert-goers need to know about Friday's "good, good night," as the Peas would say:
Tickets are sold out.
The show is free, but tickets are mandatory to attend. The tickets to the June concert will be honored, however ticket holders to the original show must have a new ticket issued to them via email. This has already happened and pricey VIP tickets close to the stage – some of which sold for $2,500 – have all been snapped up as well.
Parking
The east side of Central Park West, from West 81st to 91st streets, has been closed to parking for days in preparation for the event. Inside Central Park, internal roads between 72nd and 86th Streets will be closed to vehicles, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
Bus stops on Central Park West won’t be affected, and according to the NYPD there are no road closures around the park.
Access to Central Park.
All entrances to Central Park between 72nd and 86th streets on both the east and west sides will be closed on Friday. A crosstown commuter path that runs between West 81st Street and Central Park West, and East 79th Street and Fifth Avenue will stay open until 10 a.m. on Friday.
Playgrounds will remain open, but the Turtle Pond will be closed on the day of the concert.
Timing.
Gates open at 3 p.m. The concert runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The park officially closes at 1 a.m. as usual, and then reopens at 6 a.m. the next morning. The event can be viewed as a live stream on the Robin Hood Foundation’s website from 7:30 p.m.
Don't bring booze.
Alcohol and recording devices aren't allowed at the concert. For a long list of other things concert-goers should leave at home, click here.
Will Taylor Swift be there?
The June show had a long list of special guests lined up, including Taylor Swift, LL Cool J and Debbie Harry. So far none of those performers has said they'll be joining Fergie and will.i.am on stage, but a spokeswoman said the show could have some "surprise appearances."
How to donate.
Sales from VIP tickets and other concert proceeds benefit the Robin Hood Foundation. You can also make a quick donation online, or text GIVENYC to 50555.
