Rides and arcade games pitched for Herald and Greeley squares as Midtown BID seeks an operator

Carnival-style rides and arcade games could soon share space with the café tables in Herald Square and Greeley Square. The 34th Street Partnership, the business improvement district that runs both Midtown plazas, published a request for proposals on Monday seeking an operator for amusement rides, mechanical attractions, arcade games or similar outdoor activities. Bids are due Oct. 13.

The plazas sit between Broadway and Sixth Avenue and stretch from West 32nd to West 36th Street. Today they offer tables, chairs and umbrellas, along with food kiosks and public restrooms, and they occasionally host pop-up markets or dance classes. According to a map included with the request, the project would take up 39,759 square feet. A city office that coordinates events puts yearly foot traffic at the intersection of Broadway and 34th Street at roughly 100 million people.

What the Herald Square amusement rides contract would allow

Whoever wins would get a contract lasting one year, and it could be renewed for up to four additional years. Bidders must propose an annual fee to be paid to the Partnership. Nothing permanent may be built, so each ride and structure must be movable. Attractions cannot block walkways, and the operator has to clean up throughout the day to keep trash from building up.

Any operation would be limited to the hours between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., and the exact schedule, including which days the attractions run, would need sign-off from both the Partnership and the city Department of Transportation. The Partnership did not respond to requests for comment, and DOT referred questions to the Partnership.

A bounce house precedent and Manhattan’s missing amusement park

This would not be the first play attraction on the plaza. The Partnership brought in a company in 2022 and 2023 to install a block-long bounce house on Broadway. Some visitors raved about it, but passersby complained it was annoying and cyclists warned it could be a distraction.

Manhattan has carousels, ice rinks and arcades, yet no amusement park of its own. Brooklyn has Luna Park, and Queens has Fantasy Forest Amusement Park. DOT created the Herald Square plaza in 2009, and the nonprofit BID now maintains the space together with the agency. The Partnership’s funding comes from concession and event fees, including those collected at Herald and Greeley squares.

No opening date has been set, and the Partnership may turn down any or all of the bids it receives.