Please Help Us Keep Down Excessive Noise In Washington Square Park

The Problem: On occasion, the sound level in Washington Square Park reaches obnoxious levels. There have been days when it was not possible to have a conversation without leaving the park, let alone sit quietly for a couple of hours to read a book or just socialize. There have been some afternoons where you'd walk towards the park and hear the sound of full sets of drums while you're still a block away from the park.

Enforcement?: (IMPORTANT UPDATE- In recent months the 6th precinct has done a remarkable job quieting the noise and returning the park to being a place of enjoyment that is fairly shared by acoustic musicians, residents and visitors.)

In the past it was difficult getting consistent enforcement of the park noise regulations because the rules can appear to be arbitrary. It has been said that "One man's music is another man's noise". While that may be true please keep in mind that we are not trying to stop any one type of music. Instead, we are just trying to reduce the excessively high volume levels that some music is being played at.

Unfortunately, some individuals have found that by coming in and setting up full sets of drums and pounding away for hours at a time, they can get tourists to give them money. Even though this is technically illegal in NYC Parks. The park rangers have sometimes been lax with enforcing the noise regulations.

Net Result: As a result, musicians and entertainers who quietly entertain visitors and local residents were being forced from the park and were being replaced by a few loud, no holds barred aggressive money-hungry spoilers. At the same time, local residents and tourists were being made miserable or driven out of the park by the loud noise that sometimes lasted for hours. This same problem has occurred in prior years until it reached a point where there was only loud noise, very few visitors, almost no musicians and lots of angry local residents.

Here's How You Can Help If You Witness a Loud Noise Problem In the Park

If you are a Visitor to Washington Square Park: Please do not give any money to loud individuals or groups, that is the only reason they are there. If the money stops coming, they will stop coming. You will be helping all the other visitors, performers, and local residents  to continue to enjoy Washington Square Park for years to come.

If you are a Musician or Entertainer: Please do not bring amplifiers (amplifiers are illegal in the park) or full drum sets and keep the volume down. If the volume is reasonable you should be able to share the fountain area with other entertainers under each tree in the circle without interference. You will be helping yourself and all other entertainers by keeping visitors coming. Remember, visitors come to Washington Square because of all the different entertainers. The fewer entertainers, the fewer visitors and the smaller the audiences you will get. Also, by reducing the volume you will make it possible for local residents to enjoy the park and possibly even become part of your regular audience. When the park is too noisy, the residents will instead complain to the local police department, parks department and local government officials until you are no longer allowed to perform in Washington Square Park (Note - You may even receive fines and have your equipment confiscated.)

If you are a Local Resident: You deserve to be able to enjoy Washington Square Park because although it may be a famous tourist attraction, please remember that it is still your neighborhood park. If you hear or see someone in the park who has a total disregard for your peace and comfort please complain to someone in authority and encourage your neighbors to do the same. Depending on how often the problem occurs or how loud the noise is you might want to complain in the following order. First, complain to the Park Ranger on duty or ask to see the local Park Manager.  If they don't help then write down their name and call the NYC help line by dialing 311 on your phone to file a complaint and ask that they send a police car or contact the park police for immediate action. If you still don't get any satisfaction be sure to call the Sixth Precinct directly at 212-741-4811 and ask them to send a patrolman around to stop the noise. If this is a recurring problem then it is worth complaining to Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe via email or to the Mayors Office via email. Although you may not believe it, we've found that by sending a well written email complaint to both the Parks Commissioner and the Mayor does seem to get results. In fact, if you are willing to supply your name and address they will actually send you a letter with direct contacts to police commanders and Parks management who will get action on your complaint.

If You Have Additional Suggestions

Please contact UMO Music via email.

Thanks in advance for all your help in this matter.

Please enjoy a Peaceful Washington Square Park.

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