Brooklyn
By Geoffrey Croft
The three day booze-fest was routinely criticized by park users, neighborhood residents, park advocates as an inappropriate commercial event held on public parkland.
The event damaged grass, prevented the general public from accessing dozens of acres for weeks and disturbed habitat for the park's animals according to naturalists.
The news was revealed this afternoon, ironically by Michael Bloomberg family friend Besty Smith, head of revenue and marketing for the Parks Department at a City Council oversight hearing entitled, The Private Use of Public Parkland: Do Large Scale Events Benefit Parks.
The event was also used as a Prospect Park Alliance fundraiser. The Prospect Park Alliance received only a $ 75,000 event fee from the organizers this year.
“Large events occur because New Yorkers demand them,” Smith told the council with a straight face.
“After two years of assessing [GoogaMooga] in that site, we pretty much feel at this time that it’s probably not the appropriate venue for something like that,” she said.
The news comes as the Bloomberg administration is increasing using public parks cash cows to raise revenue for the city while privatizing and restricting access to parks.
The desperate measures conservancies and so called public-private partnerships groups are now employing in order to raise funds is also of great concern.
It was revealed earlier this year that the Prospect Park Alliance received only $ 75,000 for this years Googa Mooga event - $ 25,000 less than last year. The City also required that the Police Department be reimbursed to the tune of $ 347, 147,00 dollars, compared to
$ 300,000.00 to cover expenses from last year's event.
$ 300,000.00 to cover expenses from last year's event.
This year the festival, which billed itself as an "amusement park of food, drink and music," was forced to cancel the final day due to rain.
Last year's absorbent prices, including $ 267 VIP's tickets and shortage of food and long lines did not help to endear the public to the event.
"We understand and support the Department of Parks & Recreation's decision, and we look forward to continuing a great working relationship with them, both on this project and others in the future," Superfly Presents, the event organizers, said in a written statement.
"We thank the Prospect Park Alliance for the opportunity to bring GoogaMooga to Prospect Park the past two years, and we pledge our continued support for their mission to make the park an enjoyable and world-class public space."
We cannot confirm future plans at this time. "
Read More:
The Brooklyn Paper - October 4, 2013 - By Natalie Musumeci
City gives GoogaMooga the boot(a)
City gives GoogaMooga the boot(a)
Crains New York - October 4, 2013 - By Theresa Agovino
A Walk In The Park - May 19, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft
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