New York’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, was announced to be reopening later this month. The infamous arena is set to reopen on February 23rd. The venue is not yet resuming concerts, but will be hosting Rangers hockey games and Knicks basketball games.
According to the New York Post, President Andy Lustgarten of MSG, was surprised that they were able to reopen sooner than expected with the permission of Governor Cuomo. Cuomo announced in early February that arenas could open with limited capacity, the New York Postreported. The arenas are able to host at 10% capacity, which for MSG, is about 2000 people. While it might not sound like a lot compared to the arena’s normal capacity of over 20,000, it’s a definite start to hosting games and concerts again.
The first game held in the arena this month will be a basketball game between the New York Knicks against the Golden State Warriors.
Madison Square Garden has implemented a Covid safe plan for the reopening. According to News 12, every attendee of a game will need to provide proof of a negative PCR Covid-19 test obtained within 72 hours of attendance, and will also need a valid ID that matches the name on the test results, to ensure validity. Fans also will have their temperature taken at the door, will need to fill out an online health form within 12 hours before the event, and will be required to comply with the mask guidelines. Seats will be socially distanced, and all transactions within the area will be cashless, using credit, debit, or apple pay.
While this is certainly a step forward for the entertainment industry, don’t get too excited to be courtside at a game just yet. With such limited seating available, Madison Square Garden has said that season ticket holders and suite holders will have first grabs at the tickets. “Given the 10% capacity limit, tickets are not expected to be available to the general public, however, we know this is just the beginning and can’t wait to welcome more fans through our doors!” stated the Madison Square Garden team.
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, the entertainment industry has taken a big hit. Madison Square Garden is reported to have suffered a 91% decrease in revenue, going from earning $178 million in a year to $14.4 million the next, according to Forbes. This was due to venues shutting down. This first step to reopening the venue may help to kickstart the process of bringing the entertainment industry back.