New York City will host the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in August, MTV announced Thursday.
“The VMAs deliver some of pop culture’s most defining moments and we’re grateful to our New York home and Madison Square Garden for rolling out the red carpet for what is sure to be the biggest night in music,” said MTV president Sean Atkins in a news release Thursday.
The event amps up the city’s summer music calendar and, according to city officials, will boost the bottom lines of small businesses.
“Hosting the awards in our city means a boost to our small businesses and restaurants and more jobs for the thousands of crew members who work to bring the show into homes around the world,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news release.
The city’s Commissioner of Media and Entertainment, Julie Menin, reiterated the mayor’s words. “Beyond the entertainment value of the show itself, the financial benefit of this event on small businesses is significant. … It presents huge opportunities for shops, restaurants, and retailers across the City,” she said in a statement.
The August 28 event marks a return to the birthplace of the awards ceremony, with the very first taking place in NYC in 1984 at Radio City Music Hall. The last time the VMAs were in town was 2013, at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
The show’s host, performers and presenters are yet to be announced.
