Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Panorama Organizers Hope to Bring Festival to Queens Next Year

By Katie Honan | June 17, 2016 12:08pm | Updated on June 19, 2016 7:45pm
 Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Katie Honan

CORONA — Organizers of the Panorama festival are investing in scholarships and a local concert ahead of its July show, which they hope to bring to Queens next year.

Goldenvoice — which also puts on California's Coachella festival and is the production arm of concert promoter AEG Live — originally wanted to bring its music, art and technology festival to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park this summer, but moved the show to Randall's Island after its permit was denied by the Parks Department. 

But Goldenvoice producer Mark Shulman, who said the multi-faceted festival was inspired by the World's Fairs, said he still wants to bring it to Queens. 

“In our talks with community leaders and organizations in Queens over the past two and a half years, we received tremendous support and identified ways we could have long-lasting positive impact," he said in a statement.

To maintain a presence in the borough, they're a sponsor of the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Concert in the park on July 16, which will feature New Orleans musical stars Kermit Ruffins and Dr. John.

All ticketholders to the Panorama festival will get free admission to the Queens Museum. 

And as part of their community give-back, they're also investing in STEM scholarships for 20 kids in the Bronx and Queens. 

Shulman said they wanted to continue their commitment to Queens even though the festival had to move — and said there would be more benefits to the community if it's held there next year.

"If granted permission to host the event at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the future, we will be able to bring even more community benefits to the Park, the Park institutions and the local residents," he said.

The proposal to bring the Panorama Festival to the park had sparked outrage from some critics who said they opposed the continued use of a public park for private for-profit gatherings.

Two other festivals had also applied to use the space, including The Madison Square Garden Corporation, which hoped to host a three-day music festival in June, and Founders Entertainment, which runs Governors Ball, which hoped to hold a three-day music festival, "Festival Q," in the park this summer.

The Parks Department denied all major festival permits for the park this fall, saying they would interfere with public park use.

"While we are heartened by the interest in one of Queens’ most historic parks, our primary concern is ensuring the park is available for the many New Yorkers who call Flushing Meadows Corona Park their backyard," Commissioner Mitchell Silver said in a statement at the time.