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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2002
PR-233-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE COMMISSIONER PAUL TAGLIABUE ANNOUNCE "NFL KICKOFF LIVE FROM TIMES SQUARE"


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today outlined New York City's plans to host NFL Kickoff Live From Times Square on Thursday, September 5th. The event, which is free to the public, will begin at 4:30 p.m., and will continue with a variety of entertainment until 8:00 p.m. Bon Jovi, one of America's greatest rock and roll bands, will headline the event. Also scheduled to appear are music sensation Enrique Iglesias, and hip-hop artist Eve with special guest Alicia Keys. The cast of the Broadway musical Rent, featuring NSYNC's Joey Fatone, will also perform. National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue attended the announcement at City Hall along with Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba, President of the Times Square BID Tim Tompkins, Jon Bon Jovi, lead singer of the band Bon Jovi, and former NFL quarterback and co-host of CBS's NFL Today Boomer Esiason.

"This historic event in Times Square is a celebration of the American spirit, the resiliency of New Yorkers, and the fact that New York City remains one of the premier tourist destinations in the world," said Mayor Bloomberg. "What better way to show the world that New York City remains the 'Greatest City on Earth' than to host a huge nationally-televised celebration in the middle of the crossroads of the world - Times Square. I want to thank the NFL for their commitment to New York City, and everyone involved who worked diligently to pull this event together."

"We thank Mayor Bloomberg and his staff, and the Times Square Business Improvement District for working with us to host this unprecedented football and music festival in Times Square to kick off what promises to be another exciting NFL season," said NFL Commissioner Tagliabue.

"The NFL Kickoff Live From Times Square will undoubtedly be the most dramatic beginning of a season in the history of sports," said Sports Commissioner Podziba. "It will be a marvelous celebration of our City's strength and resiliency as well as the American spirit."

The NFL has made a multi-million dollar commitment to the City to help promote tourism and convention business through their national media and marketing programs including the use of NFL network television promotional time. In addition, the NFL has made a contribution to the City's September 11th memorial plans, and has made a commitment to distribute a substantial portion of the NFL disaster relief funds that it set up with the NFL Players Association following September 11th to the City to help with the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan.

On the night of the event, streets will be closed from 43rd to 47th Street between Sixth and Eighth Avenues. The New York Police Department will begin closing down access to Times Square north of 47th as more people arrive. The times that these blocks close to pedestrian and vehicular traffic will also depend on when people arrive. However, it is likely that there will be no vehicular traffic on either Broadway or Seventh Avenue by noon. Street closures may begin as early as 12:00 noon and remain in effect until 11:00 pm.

Immediately following the event, the New York Giants and the San Francisco Forty Niners will kickoff in the NFL's first-ever Thursday night season opener at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. EST). The game will not be televised on the screens in Times Square, and the crowd will be asked to disperse and leave the area after the event ends at 8:00 p.m. However, many local restaurants and bars will be showing the event on television, and a list of those will be posted at www.TimesSquareBID.org.

General Suggestions for Area Employees, Residents and Visitors to the Area

If you need to access the Times Square area for any reason that day, we advise you to take mass transit. All subway stations serving the area will be open but some bus routes will be rerouted. For more information about bus re-routing, visit the MTA's website at www.mta.info.

Attendees should not arrive earlier than 2 p.m.; those who arrive earlier than 2:00 p.m. will be prohibited from loitering in the Times Square area. Attendees should not bring backpacks or large packages, or alcoholic beverages. Public drinking is illegal in New York City and there will be zero tolerance for alcohol at the event. There will be no public restrooms at the event. If you leave a designated viewing area that has filled to capacity, you will be prohibited from reentering. The ADA accessible viewing area is located at the west corner of 44th Street and 7th Avenue.

If you are planning to attend a Broadway show that evening, most Broadway theatres are open and theatre owners have pushed curtain times back until 8:30 p.m. (for more information on show schedules, go to www.LiveBroadway.com). We encourage all theater patrons to arrive early, as you will need extra time to access your destination. Police posted at cross streets will provide you access to your destination. On the day of the event, the TKTS booth will open at 10:00 a.m. for tickets for that evening and stay open as long as it remains accessible, most likely until around 12:00 noon.

If you work in a building or have business on one of the streets that has been closed, notify the NYPD officer on duty at the checkpoint on either Sixth Avenue or Eighth Avenue, whichever is closer to your destination. And if you are going to a hotel, restaurant or business in the area, police posted at cross streets will direct you to your destination.

For more information, go to the City's website at www.nyc.gov or the Times Square BID's website at www.TimesSquareBID.org, or the NFL's website at www.nfl.com.

 

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk
(212) 788-2958
Andrew Gould (Sports Commission)
(212) 487-5665
  Brian McCarthy (NFL)
(212) 450-2069