Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Free music, sports events popular amid recession
Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:59am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK (Reuters) - People are flocking to free outdoor cultural events from opera to rappers to Shakespeare, entertaining themselves on a budget amid the worst recession in some 70 years.
As more people opt to spend vacations at home, some U.S. parks groups are seeing audiences double, while donations and sponsorships of free summer programs are dropping.
In New York, the City Parks Foundation puts on nearly 1,200 free events, mostly in summer, and has seen crowds grow by at least 30 percent compared to last year.
"The recession is definitely playing a role," the foundation's executive director, David Rivel, told Reuters. "Fundraising is down about 20 percent, Attendance is up about 20 to 30 percent at least, and we're doing the best we can.
"Almost all of our sponsors from last year are back, but virtually none of them are giving more money and many are giving less money than they did last year."
Rivel said the foundation had dipped into its endowment to avoid cutting programs.
A huge demand has risen for free sports programs, as many parents cannot afford sending children to camp, he added.
Waiting in the rain at New York's East River Park for hip hop artist Slick Rick to appear, Audrea Alicea, 40, said free events were good for "keeping the kids out of trouble."
"I go online to try to find stuff to keep my daughter entertained," said Alicea, a child care worker from Manhattan.
HUNGER FOR FREE EVENTS
In London, the Royal Opera House has seen a 27 percent increase in crowds from last year for live broadcasts of opera and ballet on big screens in 20 locations around Britain.
"There is a huge hunger for free events given the current economic climate," spokesman Simon Magill said.
Free guided walks through London's Royal Parks had seen a 12 percent increase in attendance, a spokesman said.
In New York, long lines of people waiting for free tickets to "Shakespeare in the Park" stretch through Central Park.
Also in Central Park, more than 80,000 people attended a free performance this month by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Orchestra president Zarin Mehta said he could not attribute the crowd to the dim economy. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Also on Reuters
Blog: Who acted stupidly, the police or the president?
Video
Video: A radical shift for Yahoo's homepage
Commentary: Stanford investors get fleeced again
More Entertainment News
Amy Winehouse cleared of assault
| Video
"New Moon" rises at Comic-Con
"Potter" prepared to fend off trio of newcomers
"Idol" showrunner Warwick inks new deal
Hollywood studios, networks in force at Comic-Con
More Entertainment News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Obama stirs racial passions in Harvard case | Video
Naked girls plow fields for rain
CDC stops swine flu death count at 300
All U.S. children should get seasonal flu shot: CDC
Obama stokes racial passions, police anger | Video
Banks kick commercial real estate loans down road
UPDATE 4-WHO says pandemic gaining speed, sees winter risks
Microsoft raises specter of doubt on tech recovery
Obama unveils $4 billion school improvement plan
Skype singled out as threat to Russia's security
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Obama: Police acted "stupidly"
China nominee plays up engagement
NJ mayors, rabbis ensnared in probe
Karadzic calls massacre a myth
Deadly floods hit Mongolia
Czech mates bare nearly all
UK launches swine flu help site
China, Russia in big military drill
S.Korean factory riots
Book deals for Jackson estate
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Special Coverage: Michael Jackson
The King of Pop
Full coverage of Michael Jackson's sudden death, with the latest news, videos, facts and timeline. Full Coverage
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.