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Parks & Public Spaces
Application from Madison Square Park Conservancy for “FETE DU FELINE”; By Fancy Feast (Purina), a marketing event in Madison Square Park; From August 7, 2023 to August 8, 2023.
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, July 13, 2023, the following resolution passed with a vote of 32 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, The Madison Square Park Conservancy (the “Applicant”) intends to submit a permit application to the Parks Department for “Fete Du Feline” by Fancy Feast, a marketing event to be held in the southwest gravel section of Madison Square Park on August 7-8, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Set-up would commence at 12am on August 7th; with the installation ending and the event officially opening to the public and beginning at 5pm on August 7th, ending at 5pm on August 8th, and with cleanup and dismantling of the event in all respects to be finished on August 9th by 3am; and
WHEREAS, This is a two-part event:
- Press and influencers/VIPs: August 7th from 5pm to 6:30pm
- General public: August 8th from 11am to 5pm in conjunction with International Cat Day; and
WHEREAS, Fancy Feast will be serving free food tastings to the public in a setting similar to a traditional “garden party”; the menu will include human food inspired by their various lines of cat food; and
WHEREAS, The food will be cooked mostly offsite with assembly of components done at an electric back of house kitchen; and
WHEREAS, There will be food distributed on both days but beer and wine only to VIPs on the first evening; and
WHEREAS, Within the activation, Fancy Feast will have a meet and greet with a cat ambassador, a cat nutritionist, calligraphy/engraving, an Instagram wall, and a cat caricaturist/portrait artist; and
WHEREAS, All temporary structures for this event are within previously approved size and shape; and
WHEREAS, Fancy Feast will also give away canvas tote bags; and
WHEREAS, Sanitation and crowd control will be handled by 15 to 20 brand ambassadors; and
WHEREAS, Trash bags and dumpsters will be available for sanitation; and
WHEREAS, Four, 10’ floor speakers will be used for background music not to exceed 90 decibels, and
WHEREAS, No microphones or subwoofers will be used; and
WHEREAS, The event is expected to have approximately 700 participants over the course of the activation; and
WHEREAS, Fancy Feast will bring in their own generators which will be powered either by diesel or gasoline; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant has agreed to explore whether future partners can use generators that are not powered by fossil fuels and hence less impactful on the environment; and
WHEREAS, Signage appears to be within previously acceptable parameters and will be within the activation space; and
WHEREAS, Any filming of the Event which might include the public will be handled only with the written releases of said individual(s); and
WHEREAS, Every attempt will be made to minimize the impact on the use of the park by the general public, and
WHEREAS, Applicant has indicated that in return for the private use of public space for this event, a substantial contribution to the Applicant will be made, which is consistent with past practice and necessary for the funding of the park per its contractual agreement with the Parks Department, that allows for four annual marketing events, of which this is the first for 2023; and
WHEREAS, All operational aspects of the event, including sanitation and potential queueing, have been planned for in a satisfactory manner; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five believes that the nature and conduct of the event as proposed is satisfactory and consistent with its past approvals for the four marketing events done in past years; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the application from Madison Square Park Conservancy for “Fete du Feline” by Purina, a marketing event in Madison Square Park from August 7th to August 8th, 2023.