Forest Hills Stadium to become a year-round venue, install real bathrooms
Since reopening in 2013, Queens' Forest Hills Stadium has been one of the nicest destinations for big outdoor summer concerts in NYC. As Aaron Dessner of The National (who are throwing a two-day fest there in September) puts it, "it still feels intimate even given its size" (it seats 14,000 people).
Now the venue is looking to not just be a summer venue, but a year-round venue, AM New York reports. They're planning to have a "Winter Wonderland" with a skating rink, and Christmas tree and other holiday vendors. "We want to keep the place up and running year-round," said Mike Luba, partner in Madison House Presents. "The ice skating rink will be for the community." No word if there will be music during the winter season.
They're also planning, for the first time in the venue's 95-year history, to install bathrooms with plumbing when the 2018 season begins in June. (They've just had porta potties before this.) "We’ve been working on this since we started here," said Luba. "Real bathrooms — it’s part of the quality of the experience." The venue also revealed that they plan to introduce "gender-inclusive" bathrooms for the first time in their history.
In addition to Maxwell's just-announced benefit concert at Forest Hills Stadium, the venue recently revealed comedian Russell Peters is playing on August 18 and the stadium will host its first-ever food festival on October 6. It's called EEEEEATSCON and presented by national restaurant guide The Infatuation.
Other previously announced concerts happening during Forest Hills Stadium's 2018 season include The National's aforementioned two-day festival, Van Morrison / Willie Nelson, Flogging Molly / Dropkick Murphys, Jamiroquai, Arctic Monkeys, David Byrne / Tune-Yards, Robert Plant / Sheryl Crow, Portugal. The Man / Lucius, alt-J / Kamasi Washington, Roger Daltrey's orchestral Tommy, Belle & Sebastian / Perfume Genius / Frankie Cosmos, Nathaniel Rateliff / The Head and the Heart / Hiss Golden Messenger, Culture Club / B-52s / Tom Bailey, and Cake / Ben Folds.
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Forest Hills Stadium -- 2018 Schedule
JUNE 8 Belle & Sebastian, Perfume Genius, Frankie Cosmos
JUNE 9 Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, The Head and the Heart, Hiss Golden Messenger
JUNE 13 Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters, Sheryl Crow
JUNE 15 alt-J, Kamasi Washington
JUNE 17 Roger Daltrey performs The Who’s “Tommy”
JUNE 22 Dropkick Murphys & Flogging Molly
JULY 24 Arctic Monkeys
JULY 28 Boy George & Culture Club, B-52s, Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey
AUG. 17 Cake & Ben Folds
SEPT. 8 Jamiroquai
SEPT. 12 Van Morrison & Willie Nelson
SEPT. 15 David Byrne, Tune-Yards
SEPT. 22 Portugal. The Man, Lucius
SEPT. 29-30 The National with Future Islands, Jason Isbell, Cat Power, Cigarettes After Sex, Phoebe Bridgers, U.S. Girls, Bully, Adia Victoria
AUG. 18 Russell Peters
OCT. 6 The Infatuation presents EEEEEATSCON