Forest Hills Stadium to Resume Summer Concert Series After Securing Deal with Locals

Forest Hills Stadium will officially move forward with its summer concerts this year after securing a deal with locals who were pushing to limit concerts over noise complaints.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced on Monday that the stadium’s concert partner, Tiebreaker Productions, agreed to hire private security to manage the privately owned streets around the venue. The Forest Hills Gardens Corporation was pleased with this solution, as it had previously refused to grant the NYPD access to close those streets, which meant the department was unable to issue sound amplification permits.

This is the latest development in the years-long saga between the stadium and local residents.

The non-profit Forest Hills Garden Corporation, which encompasses the private community of Forest Hills in Queens, New York, filed a motion against the venue’s owner, The West Side Tennis Club, last year. The motion, filed in a Queens County court, asked a judge to prohibit “licensing, authorizing, allowing or otherwise causing any concerts to occur” at Forest Hills Stadium in 2025.

The motion also offered an alternative: that concerts at least be banned from occurring during the school year — between the months of September and June — and be limited to Fridays and Saturdays. Additionally, the motion asked the stadium to adhere to the city’s noise ordinance.

According to Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD has preliminarily approved an “alternative security plan” for the stadium, specifically the upcoming concert on May 31.

“The NYPD’s conditional approval allows concerts to continue this summer if the stadium meets certain conditions, such as compliance with city noise code and adequate security measures,” Altus said.

The stadium rejoiced in the news, writing in a social media post that “as anticipated, we’re pleased to announce that the City of New York has given Forest Hills Stadium the green light for our 2025 concert season to proceed as planned.”

“Each year, our team works closely with the local community and elected officials to bring world-class performances at one of the most iconic music venues in the country,” the stadium said. “We’re excited to welcome fans back this summer and proud to continue our role as a cultural cornerstone of the Queens community.”

Forest Hills is set to host 13 shows this summer — including the jam band Phish, the indie-rockers of the Black Keys, and blues-rock group Alabama Shakes. Bloc Party will kick-off on May 31 with Blonde Redhead.