![\"Hozier](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/240604-Hozier_@Forest.Hills_.Stadium_by@Bryan.Kwon_.Photos-083.jpg\")
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Hozier performs at Forest Hills Stadium during the 2024 concert season. <\/p>\n
Photo credit: Bryon Kwon<\/p>\n
\t\t Search our comprehensive guide to things to do in Queens<\/a> for more local events \u2014 or submit your own<\/a>!<\/p>\n An economic impact report studying the 2024 concert season at Forest Hills Stadium found that the venue generated $42.5 million in economic activity for Forest Hills, New York City and New York State.<\/p>\n The report, commissioned by Forest Hills Stadium<\/a> and conducted by Perch Advisors<\/a>, examined the 34 concerts and four non-concert events that took place throughout 2024 and described the venue as a \u201cvital economic engine\u201d for Queens.<\/p>\n Boost for \u201chyper-local\u201d businesses<\/p>\n The 2024 season saw almost $6.8 million in direct expenditures to local vendors and suppliers, including food and beverage providers, equipment rental companies, security firms, sanitation services and professional services, according to the report.<\/p>\n The study further noted that many of the supported businesses are \u201chyper-local,\u201d with local restaurants such as Nick\u2019s Bistro, 5 Burro and Stacked Sandwich Shop operating concession stands at the venue.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, 79% of local businesses surveyed during the study described the stadium\u2019s impact as positive, noting a rise in foot traffic, sales and employment opportunities during concert season.<\/p>\n The study found that Forest Hills Stadium directly supported over 1,100 jobs for New York City residents during the 2024 season, with a particular emphasis on local hiring. Of all seasonal staff hired in 2024, 47% are Queens residents, while 16% reside directly in Forest Hills.<\/p>\n Forest Hills Stadium provided $6.5 million in direct wages to support jobs at the venue during the 2024 season.\n<\/p>\n The majority of economic activity was in visitor spending, according to the report, with guests spending $24.6 million during events at the stadium.\n<\/p>\n In-stadium sales and merchandise concessions also generated around $2 million in sales tax revenue, the study found.\n<\/p>\n Local residents also made up the majority of attendees at events throughout the 2024 season, with 56% of tickets sold within New York State, including 11% in Queens and 5.6% in Brooklyn. Forest Hills Stadium also distributed $500,000 of complimentary community tickets through various giveaways and events like the National Night Out Against Crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n Queens Borough President Donovan Richards described the venue as a \u201ccultural and artistic heartbeat\u201d of New York City and \u201cindisputably\u201d one of the best music venues in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cBut arguably the stadium\u2019s most important contribution is the immense economic activity it generates in Forest Hills and beyond, as this study makes clear,\u201d Richards said in a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cFrom hiring hundreds of Queens residents to attracting thousands of customers to Forest Hills\u2019 shops, bars and restaurants, Forest Hills Stadium continues to deliver for the World\u2019s Borough. I look forward to another successful concert season starting this spring.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, whose Assembly district covers the stadium, said the venue was a \u201ccornerstone\u201d of the Forest Hills community.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe stadium is a catalyst for local economic activity, generating tens of millions of dollars and supporting more than 1,000 jobs,\u201d Hevesi said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Jason Brandt, general manager of Forest Hills Stadium, said the report highlights how the stadium provides an economic stimulus for New York City, as well as providing a boost for residents and businesses in Forest Hills.<\/p>\n \u201cThese dollars support real people with real families in our shared community. We look forward to the 2026 season and beyond,\u201d Brandt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Legal disputes<\/p>\n However, the 2025 concert season was placed under significant threat when the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation<\/a>, a local residents association, which owns some of the private streets surrounding the venue, refused to allow the NYPD access to those private streets.<\/p>\n In March last year, NYPD Inspector William Gallagher wrote a letter to the West Side Tennis Club<\/a>, which operates and leases the iconic venue, stating that the NYPD would not issue sound amplification permits for the 2025 season because the Gardens Corporation would not grant access to the private streets.<\/p>\n The police eventually issued permits after Forest Hills Stadium proposed using privately-operated security firms on the streets surrounding the venue.\n<\/p>\n The Gardens Corporation has since sued the NYPD and the city over what it described as the \u201cunlawful seizure\u201d of the private roads surrounding the venue.\n<\/p>\n However, the FHGC board that initiated several lawsuits against the stadium was unseated last December, with new board member Laura Singh pledging to \u201cend wasteful legal spending,\u201d according to the Queens Daily Eagle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Elected officials such as Queens Borough President Donovan Richards had previously criticized the old FHGC board over litigation that the homeowners association has brought against Forest Hills Stadium.<\/p>\n