Details for MTV Video Music Awards emerge: three days of street closings near arena Aug. 23-25; no public meeting scheduled yet

The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment yesterday circulated an unsigned "Dear Resident" letter from MTV regarding the channel's popular Video Music Awards program, which will broadcast Aug. 25 from the Barclays Center and require three days of street closings nearby, though only street will be closed the first day.

Residents will get passes to park in the surface parking lot associated with the neighborhood, and sidewalks will be open to residents of the impacted streets--Sixth Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Dean Street; Dean Street between Flatbush and Vanderbilt Avenue, and Pacific Street between Sixth and Carlton Avenues--but there are no other announced benefits or compensation for the inconvenience.

Residents, however, were informed about how to purchase tickets for the event. MTV's plans previously alarmed locals, given the failure of anyone from MTV or the mayoral agency to attend a recent public meeting on qualify of life issues related to the arena. A public meeting likely will be held closer to the time of the event.

From the letter

The letter forwarded by Jake Goldman, Director of External Affairs for the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, states:

As you know, Barclays Center is hosting our MTV 2013 Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 25th . We have been working in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting on efforts to make our event safe and efficient. Additionally, guidance from the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, Police and Fire Departments, Department of Transportation, and members of the neighborhood community have been immensely helpful, ensuring a positive experience throughout our time in Brooklyn. We want to thank the community for the valuable input they have provided, allowing us to address concerns as they arise.

In our aim to keep all residents informed, we are sharing some details in writing to assist the community. The production load‐in will begin inside Barclays on August 6th . The anticipated dates of neighborhood impact are August 23rd – August 25th. Our Red Carpet rehearsals with crew (no celebrities) will be on August 24th from 6:30pm – 9:00pm. On August 25th , the Red Carpet is live on television from 8:00pm – 9:00pm with the live broadcast of the VMAs immediately following from 9:00pm – 11:00pm. For any parking that is disrupted during this time, free alternate parking has been arranged nearby. On the day of our event, sidewalks will remain open to residents of impacted streets.

What to expect: crowd control

On the day of the VMAs, you can expect to see ample activity mostly along 6th Avenue and Dean Street. There will be outdoor lights, music, cameras, and many cars arriving to drop‐off / pickup guests. To maintain safety for the general public, crowd control will exist around the perimeter of the affected streets.

Getting in touch

Those who need parking passes must contact VMAinfo@viacom.com, which, along with the phone number 1‐855‐VIACOM‐9 is a contact info for questions.

The letter closes:

Thank you for hosting MTV in your community. We have done our best to minimize the impact in your neighborhood and are hopeful that this information answers many of your questions. However, if you have any further queries or concerns regarding MTV’s presence in Brooklyn, please refer to the contact information below and you will receive a response within 24 hours.
Continuing to keep the community informed, we plan to share details again closer to our event date, August 25th.

Exactly what that means is unclear, though, as noted, residents have requested a public meeting, and likely one is in process.

VMAS 2013 Brooklyn Community Information