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Parks & Public Spaces
Madison Avenue Post Parade Events
● Persian Parade Foundation Inc: Sunday, April 19
(East 26 th Street between Madison Ave and Park Ave South)
● Sikh Cultural Society: Saturday, April 25
(Madison Avenue between East 24 th and 26 th Streets and East 26 th Street between Madison and Park
Avenue South)
● Philippine Independence Day Council Inc.: Sunday, June 7
(Madison Avenue between East 24 th and 26 th Streets and East 26 th Street between Madison
and Park Avenue South)
● Federation of Indian Association: Sunday, August 16
(Madison Avenue between East 24 th and 26 th Streets and East 26 th Street between Madison
and Park Avenue South)
● Pakistan Day Festival: Sunday, August 2
(Madison Avenue between East 24 th and 26 th Streets and East 26 th Street between Madison
and Park Avenue South)
● Muslim Foundation of America, Inc.: Sunday, September 27 (Madison Avenue between
East 24 th and 26 th Streets)
WHEREAS, The entities listed above ("Applicants") have submitted permit applications to the Parks
Department and the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO) to hold post-parade events in Madison Square
Park and on certain adjacent streets as noted above, causing those streets' full or partial closures; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of several years, Applicants have worked with Community Board Five, in
coordination with SAPO and the Madison Square Park Conservancy (MSPC), to improve their events
operationally and alleviate any issues from prior years’ events; and
WHEREAS, Each Applicant has signed a Statement of Compliance acknowledging their understanding
and acceptance of Community Board Five’s Policy on Madison Square Park Large Events and each of its
required operational commitments and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, Each Applicant has provided a site map of their event, including emergency lane clearance
requirements, as well as plans for sanitation, security, amplified sound, and cell phone contact
information for day-of point persons to respond to any immediate concerns, all of which have been shared
with SAPO; and
WHEREAS, Each Applicant has agreed to set the volume level of their amplified sound system by 2:00
p.m. on the day of their event, in coordination with SAPO and MSPC, and commits to no further increase
of volume levels past that time; and
WHEREAS, Each Applicant has agreed to notify the residential buildings surrounding the park at a
minimum of one week prior to their event, and to conduct on-site meetings with MSPC two weeks prior
to their event to work out operational details and anticipate any concerns; and
WHEREAS, In the case of the Pakistan Day Festival, Applicant has been put on notice that their failure to
adequately manage attendees’ parking violations, as well as one vendor who parked in front of a fire
hydrant that was not moved when asked, has resulted in heightened scrutiny for this year's event, with the
explicit understanding that failure to fully comply this year with Community Board Five's Policy on
Madison Square Park Large Events could result in an automatic denial of their event in 2021, as per
Community Board Five's and SAPO's policies not to support any event after material non-compliance for
two consecutive years; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five continues to question the appropriateness of these large events and
their detrimental impact on the Flatiron neighborhood, including the considerable impact on Madison
Square Park in seasonal months of park usage; and we implore NYPD and SAPO to far more proactively
consider alternative locations for these events in 2021; and
WHEREAS, Despite Community Board Five’s longstanding concerns about the impact of these large
events on Madison Square Park and the area around it, Applicants are in full compliance with Community
Board Five’s Policy on Large Events in Madison Square Park, have exhibited good faith efforts in
continuing to improve the execution of their events, including multiple meetings and correspondence with
Community Board Five for planning purposes, there is long-standing precedent for them, some of which
have been held for decades, and events in 2019 were improved over prior years’ events, warranting
Community Board Five’s approval; therefore, be it
RESOLVED , Community Board Five recommends approval of the following 2020 applications for
annual Post-Parade Events in and around Madison Square Park: Persian Parade Foundation Inc,
Philippine Independence Day Council Inc., Pakistan Day Festival, Federation of Indian Association, and
Muslim Foundation of America, Inc.