{"id":256581,"date":"2026-06-05T17:23:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/256581\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T17:23:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:23:09","slug":"long-summer-nights-nyc-extends-hours-for-athletic-fields-at-select-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/256581\/","title":{"rendered":"Long summer nights: NYC extends hours for athletic fields at select parks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those who play sports in New York City parks<\/a> will be able to play later at night.\n<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura announced on June 5 that sports lighting will remain on for an additional hour, extending to 11 p.m., at 50 park locations citywide this summer. The announcement comes a week before the start of the FIFA World Cup, and amid the Knicks\u2019 historic run in the NBA Finals \u2014 both of which Mamdani and Shimamura alluded to in their announcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that 20 years, from now we have world-class strikers and power forwards whose journeys began right here in New York City when they found their neighborhood pitches and courts lit up late at night,\u201d said Mayor Mamdani. \u201cThese 4,000 additional hours of play time will unlock opportunities for neighbors to enjoy the cool night air, for young New Yorkers to imitate the skills they just watched on TV, to both live in our city and play in our city. Our parks are our backyards, and local sports fields are our stadiums.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Starting June 11 through Labor Day weekend, New Yorkers can apply for extended permits at select fields and courts. The expanded hours are expected to create more than 4,000 additional hours of evening recreation for New Yorkers, many of whom are only able to access the athletic fields after work or during cooler evening temperatures.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers are feeling the excitement of an historic sports summer \u2014 from the Knicks\u2019 run to the NBA Finals, to the anticipation of this year\u2019s World Cup. At NYC Parks, we\u2019re making sure that excitement translates into more opportunities for people to get outside, stay active and play the sports they love,\u201d said Commissioner Shimamura. \u201cBy extending lighting hours at select fields and courts across the city this summer, we\u2019re creating more access for young athletes, adult leagues and neighborhood groups who rely on our parks after work or school and during the cooler evening hours. These additional hours mean more than just time on the field \u2014 they mean stronger communities, healthier New Yorkers and more opportunities for people to enjoy their local parks. We\u2019re grateful to Council Member Hankerson for his advocacy to ensure our parks and recreational spaces are the best they can be.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"kidsThe expanded hours are expected to create more than 4,000 additional hours of evening recreation for New Yorkers, many of whom are only able to access the athletic fields after work or during cooler evening temperatures.Kara McCurdy\/Mayoral Photography Office<\/p>\n

The program also expects to help meet the demand for recreational space while supporting youth sports, adult leagues and community programming.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBy adding 4,000 hours of free and low-cost recreation, NYC Parks prove it is one of the City\u2019s most important affordability agencies,\u201d said\u00a0Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. \u201cExtended lighting means more people can spend more time outdoors, building community and enjoying their local parks. And for those perfecting their jump shot, it means a little more time under the lights.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the school year ends, summer should be a time when young people \u2014 and all New Yorkers \u2014 have safe, fun places to gather with friends and family,\u201d said\u00a0Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Renita Francois. \u201cToo often, we tell kids what not to do with their free time without creating enough opportunities for what they can do. By expanding access to well-lit athletic fields and courts across the five boroughs, the Mamdani administration is investing in places where young New Yorkers can stay active, and most importantly, have fun.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York is at the top of the sports world right now. The Knicks have the whole city locked in, FIFA is coming here and you can feel that excitement in every borough,\u201d said\u00a0Council Member Ty Hankerson, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation. \u201cOur parks are the outlet for that excitement, giving New Yorkers a safe place to carry it from the screen and the stadium into their own neighborhoods. Studies show that safe, active nighttime park programming can help people feel safer and reduce crime, so extending sports lighting is a smart public safety investment. I thank Commissioner Shimamura for listening to our call and giving communities more time and more access. Parks are for everyone, and this summer, New Yorkers will have even more time to enjoy them safely.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To find a participating field, contact the NYC Parks permitting offices<\/a> in each borough. At nonparticipating locations, standard field permitting hours\u00a0remain\u00a08 a.m. to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n

New Yorkers can apply for field permits through the NYC Parks website<\/a>, and can use the Field and Court Permit Availability Map<\/a>\u00a0to view current\u00a0permit\u00a0availability and seasonal schedules. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Those who play sports in New York City parks will be able to play later at night. Mayor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[99986,22925,9,24,56,63,65,64,22458,93357,10649],"class_list":["post-256581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-athletic-fields","tag-mayor-zohran-mamdani","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-nyc-parks","tag-nyc-parks-commissioner-tricia-shimamura","tag-parks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}