It\u2019s gonna be a hot summer in the Big Apple \u2014 and the city is ready to keep things cool.<\/p>\n
An unprecedented multi-agency task force is prepped to handle a tsunami of tourists expected to descend on the New York metro area for a slew of high-profile events, from World Cup matches across the river in Jersey to Fourth of July and Price Day celebrations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the equivalent of nine Super Bowls happening in New York City,\u201d Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol told The Post Wednesday. \u201cThey\u2019re expecting about 3-billion-plus people to watch the World Cup next summer. We\u2019ve got nine games [near] the city.<\/p>\n
Independence Day in New York City will be even bigger this year with the 250th anniversary of the USA on tap. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cBut on top of that we have the 250th birthday of America,\u201d Iscol said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have fireworks on both rivers. We have \u2018Sail 250,\u2019 which is going to be like Fleet Week on steroids, plus we have all the parades and all the other stuff we have in the city that we have to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NYPD and regional agencies have mastered security at massive events, including New Year\u2019s Eve in Times Square, the New York City Marathon and even the Super Bowl at MetLife in 2014. <\/p>\n
But the crowds are expected to be something else next year.<\/p>\n
About 200 representatives from every local, state and federal law enforcement agency huddled at the city\u2019s Emergency Operations Center in Brooklyn Heights to plan the response, officials said.<\/p>\n
The Big Apple will see a massive spill over this summer when eight World Cup games are held at MetLife Stadium. Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, an annual tradition, will be one of a slew of huge events in the city this summer. Michael Nagle<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re having, you know, an unprecedented meeting and operations system for an unprecedented event,\u201d said Alex Lazary, CEO of the NY\/NJ FIFA World Cup Host Committee, which will monitor eight games at MetLife Stadium at the New Jersey Meadowlands from June 11 to July 19.<\/p>\n
The cup, the most-watched sporting event in the world, will spill over into the Big Apple with patrons packing bars in the five boroughs for watch parties \u2014 including a massive gathering scheduled for Rockefeller Center, smack in the middle of Midtown.<\/p>\n
Starting with the National Puerto Rican Day Parade and NYC Pride March in June, the crowds are expected to grow in July, with annual Fleet Week and Independence Day, given that it will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n
The Cuauhtemoc, the Mexican sailing ship that hit the Brooklyn Bridge in May, will return to New York in July. Helayne Seidman<\/p>\n
The NYPD has mastered security at large scale events, and will be ready for a bigger change in 2026, officials said. TNS<\/p>\n