This will cause the bubble to burst.
Bubbles, balloons, tables and chairs, and even tug-of-war are off-limits at the celebration in Central Park, an unflattering ordinance that has left parents perplexed. Parents are speaking out about the arcane rules that must be followed when larger numbers of people gather. than 20.
“I received permission for my son’s 4th birthday party in Central Park but didn’t realize how many restrictions there were,” one desperate mother wrote on Facebook on May 7. lamented in the group.
Restrictions also include the setting up of tables, chairs, balloons and bubbles, as well as “active sports” such as kickball, spikeball and tug-of-war, she said.
She asked for suggestions for alternative activities and creative ways to serve cake without a table.
One parent recommends using a cooler as a table.
“Upside down milk crate and picnic blanket,” suggested another.
“Why isn’t it lathering? Soap and water?” one stunned commenter said.
Another said of the rule: “That’s ridiculous.”
“Please change location.”
Some suggested that it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
“There’s no stress. We’ve been spending birthdays in parks for years with tables and balloons and bubbles and we’ve never been told anything,” interjects an Upper East Side mother. is.
“The Parks Department said no balloons, but I’ve seen a lot of parties with balloons over the years,” another parent who hosted a party this month posted on the Facebook group.
“What happened to that?”
Many people were shocked by the rule, saying it went against what they had seen before, but the Park Service insisted the rule was not new.
Agency representatives acknowledged long-standing rules against balloons, saying they are “highly destructive” and create a trash problem.
They did not reveal details about the bubble and game ban.
Gatherings of 20 or more people will require a permit, which costs $25 and is non-refundable, and will be issued on a case-by-case basis, the department said.
In Manhattan, the use of tables and chairs requires prior approval and is limited to a maximum of two, and the use of tents is allowed in “very limited circumstances,” according to the park’s website. generally not permitted except for. Signs and banners may not be hung on trees or fences.
Park officials said they were unaware of the rules and had not been instructed to enforce them.
Officials believed they were coming from the Central Park Conservancy, which is responsible for maintaining and restoring the grounds, but the group said Parks sets and enforces all regulations. Ta.
Additional reporting by Rich Calder Helaine Seidman
