45 Years: Simon & Garfunkel’s Legendary Concert in Central Park on September 19, 1981

On September 19, 2026, one of the most famous concerts in Art Garfunkel’s long career will mark its 45th anniversary. On this day in 1981, he took the stage on the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park before an audience of around 500,000 people. The concert became one of the most extraordinary live performances of his career and is still known worldwide as “The Concert in Central Park.”

Art Garfunkel and His Duet Partner Back on Stage Together

Eleven years after their last joint performance, Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon stood on the same stage again on September 19, 1981. By then, Art Garfunkel had established a successful solo career and released several solo albums.

The reunion was initially planned as a one-time concert. It was not intended to mark a permanent reunion of the duo. However, the overwhelming success of the evening led to what had originally been planned as a one-time appearance becoming a joint concert tour. In 1982, the two musicians went on tour, continuing their collaboration beyond the Central Park concert.

For Art Garfunkel, the evening meant a return to his longtime musical partner—and at the same time marked the beginning of a new chapter in their shared history.

The Concert Program

The program combined well-known recordings by the duo with songs from their solo careers. The concert opened with “Mrs. Robinson.” Other songs performed throughout the evening included “Homeward Bound,” “America,” “Scarborough Fair,” “The Boxer,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and “The Sound of Silence.” The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie” was also part of the program.

Art Garfunkel took a solo spotlight with “A Heart in New York.” The song came from his 1981 album “Scissors Cut.” His work as a solo artist at the time was therefore represented alongside the familiar Simon & Garfunkel recordings.

“A Heart in New York”

For Art Garfunkel, “A Heart in New York” was a particularly special moment of the evening. Written by Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle, the song had been released on “Scissors Cut” in 1981.

Art Garfunkel grew up in Kew Gardens Hills in Queens and still lives in close proximity to Central Park. Singing “A Heart in New York” that evening meant performing in his hometown, in the heart of a park that is one of New York’s most iconic landmarks. The song gave his own musical connection to New York a special place within the program.

Around 500,000 People on the Great Lawn

The organizers had already anticipated an exceptionally large crowd. Originally, around 300,000 people were expected. In the end, approximately 500,000 visitors gathered on the Great Lawn.

Many people arrived at Central Park early in the day to secure a spot. They brought blankets, chairs, and picnic baskets with them. Even rain did not stop the crowd from waiting for the concert to begin. The enormous attendance made the performance one of the largest concerts in the history of Central Park and one of the defining live events of Art Garfunkel’s career.

Central Park as the Setting and the New York Skyline

Central Park is one of the world’s most famous urban parks and is often described as the green lung of Manhattan. The vast park in the heart of New York provides space for recreation, sports, culture, and countless events.

The concert took place on the Great Lawn, a large open field within the park that, then as now, is used for a variety of recreational activities and sports and also serves as a venue for major outdoor concerts. For this evening, the expansive lawn became the stage for Art Garfunkel and his duet partner—and the meeting place for around half a million people.

The stage itself also became an unmistakable part of the concert. Its wooden construction with its distinctive roof echoed the shapes of typical New York rooftops, allowing it to blend naturally into the unique setting. From the Great Lawn, the audience also had an impressive view across Central Park toward the Downtown Manhattan skyline. The combination of the wooden stage, the expansive lawn, and the city skyline shaped the visual recordings of the evening and remains part of the unmistakable imagery associated with “The Concert in Central Park.”

Why the Concert Took Place

The background to the concert lay in the condition of Central Park at the time. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the park had become severely neglected and was in urgent need of financial support for its restoration.

The free concert was intended to draw attention to the park’s condition and generate support for its preservation. From the beginning, the event therefore had a specific purpose that extended far beyond music. The success of the evening significantly supported efforts to save the park. In the years that followed, Central Park underwent extensive restoration, making the history of the concert inseparable from the development of the park, which today once again ranks among New York’s most important public spaces.

The Musical Accompaniment

Art Garfunkel and his duet partner were accompanied by an eleven-piece band. The larger ensemble allowed for new arrangements of the familiar songs and provided the musical framework for the large outdoor stage.

The two voices nevertheless remained the unmistakable center of the performances they shared. The familiar songs were given a broader musical setting by the band without losing their distinctive sound.

Conclusion

A historic milestone in music history that brought together Art Garfunkel’s solo work and his shared musical history on a stage before half a million people, helped advance the rescue of Central Park, and continues to resonate as an unforgettable live phenomenon.