SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A walkway of the Rady Shell promenade will be closed to the public on Friday evening due to a special performance at the venue featuring music star Ed Sheeran.
The Grammy winner's concert is for a private, sold-out fundraising event that raises money for cancer research, ABC 10News learned.
In a memo sent in early October, the San Diego Harbor Police chief and the Rady Shell's vice president of marketing and communications expressed safety concerns about the number of people that might show up hoping to get a glimpse of Sheeran's performance.
In the joint memo, a recommendation was made to close the promenade for the safety of the public, to not overwhelm the space and to ensure access for emergency vehicles, if needed.
The Port of San Diego CEO accepted the recommendation, and port officials said all other areas of the promenade, including the park, will stay open.
The areas surrounding the popular concert venue became a place where people started showing up to watch concerts for free. However, earlier this year, port commissioners passed an ordinance that prohibited people from setting up things like lawn chairs and coolers before after or during the events, or from sitting on the rocks near the sidewalk.
The port says the promenade has been closed twice before, once for an event before the ordinance was passed and a second event after its passing.
The closure for the charity concert is only for Friday night’s event from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
