The commission voted four in favor with one abstention to deny the proposal, which was brought forward by Tyler Grill, the co-founder and managing partner at GoodWorks Entertainment, and Jordan Wolowitz, the owner of Shore Sound Entertainment.

Grill and Wolowitz, two Connecticut natives who have put together many music festivals in the region over the years, including the popular Governors Ball event in New York City, were hoping to hold the festival at Cove Island from May 30-31, 2026.

However, due to limited emergency vehicle access, Cummings Park was tapped as the second option.

The organizers said in a presentation they felt there was a void in Stamford for live music since Alive At Five is not returning this summer.

"I grew up in Old Greenwich. Starting a festival close to town was always a goal of mine. Tyler and I, separately and together, have been doing festivals in the Northeast and out west for almost 20 years, and this is something that we both wanted to bring to Stamford for a long time," Wolowitz told the commission

Grill and Wolowitz said in a presentation the festival would draw people from across the state and wider region, which in turn will drive weekend hotel stays and impact the local economy through restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses.

The target age for the festival is 35 to 65, and "family focused and kid friendly" with free admission to those age 12 and under.

While the commission agreed that bringing a music festival to Stamford is a good idea, they also said that Cummings Park is not a concert venue.

"I think everybody agrees that a music festival somewhere in the city would be very beneficial," said Commission Chair Melanie Hollas during the May 7 public hearing on the proposal. "However, what I also heard is that events should be designed to fit within Stamford's existing park infrastructure and regulations, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to adapt their plans to the current facilities, not to expect the city to alter or expand our public infrastructure or regulations and rules and ordinances to accommodate a private event."

Angela Adetola, a commission member, said she had concerns with noise impacts. The festival was proposed to run both days from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.

"One of the things we don't now allow in the park is amplified music. We don't necessarily want to start a precedent of having amplified music in the parks, especially with the community around," she said, noting a regulated quiet zone in the neighborhood adjacent to where the festival was proposed.

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Another member, Mike Tedder, voiced concerns about restricting park access to the public not only for the two days of music, but for the amount of time it would take to set up and tear down the site.

"That park could essentially not just be closed off for two days because of the music, but essentially severely restricted in a peak season and that's not really acceptable," he said.

In their proposal, Grill and Wolowitz outlined the steps they'd take for preparing a site and mitigating damage to lawns, and how they would help repair any damage after the event is over. They also expressed a desire to donate $100,000 each year plus $1 per ticket sold to help improve parks within the city.

Tedder said he was concerned the fields at Cummings Park could be "destroyed" and potentially unplayable for six to eight weeks.

Hollas agreed.

"I'm grateful you said you'd put the park back together, however, this is the beginning of park season. It concerns me that we would have even more limited access to residents if the park is destroyed because of a weather event," she said.

Residents were able to speak on the proposal during the public hearing. Toni DeCarlo from the Soundview Manor Property Owners Association, which is composed of 52 homeowners adjacent to Cummings Park, spoke vehemently against the music festival.

She said that during Fourth of July fireworks, residents have to secure permits to close down streets and hire security guards to make sure no one parks in the neighborhood.

She said the neighborhood can hardly afford the cost for Fourth of July, and it would be burdensome to do the same for the music festival.

DeCarlo also spoke about the designated quiet zone in the neighborhood.

"This is where we live 365 days of the year. We sleep here, our babies go to sleep, our seniors try to sleep and enjoy the day as it goes after a hard day's work," she said.