Forest Hills Stadium is one of the few outdoor concert venues in NYC with permanent large capacity seating – something that more and more artists have been taking advantage of in recent years.
I have some mixed feelings about the venue, but the convenience of its location can not be disputed. The venue is located just off the Long Island Rail Road’s Forest Hills stop, and can also be reached via the E, F, M, and R subways. The subway will be the cheapest option for visitors coming from the city – $2.90 each way compared to the LIRR’s $6.75+.
There is no street parking or parking at the venue, and the streets immediately surrounding the venue are typically closed to cars on the day of the events.
For those who like to get to the venue a little early, there are plenty of bars and eateries nearby, or feel free to purchase food and drink inside the venue- there are plenty of options.
After arriving at Forest Hills Station, you’ll have to walk about two blocks to the gates, where security will check your bags and walk you through a metal detector. You are able to bring an empty water bottle and refill it at one of the stations inside if you like! Since the venue is entirely outside, there is very little shade, and they’re big on allowing visitors to stay hydrated in the heat.
After passing through security, there is a big open section surrounding the old tennis stadium that makes up the venue. This is where you’ll find the merch stands and the food and drink vendors. Do yourself a favor and skip the line for the first merch stand- it’s always enormously long and there are usually two other merch stands with much shorter lines.
I recommend heading straight for the merch stands if you’re interested in marking a purchase, then head to the food and drink.
Once again, the canned wine proved to be the best bang for your buck, but some of the frozen drinks this summer were excellent, so feel free to browse around.
As for the venue itself- I will say that there’s really no such thing as a bad view at this place. The way the stadium is set up, you’ll have a great view of the stage with minimal to no obstruction regardless of the location of your seat. On the other hand, since this is a renovated tennis stadium, the seats aren’t exactly comfortable. The long metal seats do not have seat backs or padding, which gets uncomfortable while waiting for the show. Seat backs are available for rental at an additional cost, but I hate that it’s not standard.
Additionally, I feel like the venue tries to fit too many people into the seats themselves- if it’s a sold out show, you’ll be crammed shoulder to shoulder with your neighbors and teetering in the narrow space between rows as you try to dance.
That’s not even mentioning the poor security regarding these seating arrangements! Nearly every show I’ve attended here, I’ve noticed people sneaking into rows with better seats. Now, I’m not going to be the one kicking them out, but this is making the already overcrowded rows even more crowded, and security does not let you spill out of the seating areas to make more space.
It can be difficult to enjoy yourself at a concert when at least a third of your attention is on dodging other people’s dance moves. I nearly hip-checked a poor lady to the ground while trying to dance to Fall Out Boy during a recent visit!
In my opinion, this venue would be well served to revamp its seating arrangements to make a little more space- although I understand that the odds of this happening are slim to none given it’s recent renovation was in 2013.
General Admission, however, was a different story. Now, sometimes there are seats put out onto the floor, but this is pretty uncommon, and I’m fairly sure it was just put in place to limit crowd surfing opportunities the last time I saw it.
Typically, those with General Admission tickets receive a wrist band upon entering the GA area which allows them to move in and out of the space as needed. Once inside, visitors can place themselves wherever they like! Some people fight their way to the very front of the crowd, and others like a little more personal space towards the back.
I’ve only had a General Admission ticket at this venue once, and I found that I was able to get a great view with minimal shoving even if I did position myself a little before the opening act began.
Just be aware that the GA area is entirely exposed to the sun and very poorly ventilated so dress accordingly and don’t forget to hydrate!
Since Forest Hills Stadium is located in a residential area, there is a hard curfew at 10pm. It’s a little early, I know, but you always know exactly when the concert is going to end and you’re usually in bed by midnight (maybe I’m showing my age here).
It’s as easy to leave the venue as it is to arrive- just head straight for the trains and head home! They used to funnel those heading East on the LIRR on the first available train with instructions to change to their appropriate line at Jamaica Station, but these days they seem to be giving you your choice of train.
While I’m not a huge fan of this venue, its popularity and location makes it difficult to avoid. General Admission tickets may have just changed my mind, though, and I’ll likely be looking for that option for any event moving forward.
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