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Herald Square already has crowds, shopping bags and the occasional sidewalk obstacle course. Next up: Ferris wheel?
The 34th Street Partnership, the business improvement district that keeps up with the neighborhood’s pedestrian plazas, is seeking an operator to bring outdoor attractions to the Broadway corridor outside Macy’s. Its request for proposals, issued September 28, calls for “amusement rides, mechanical attractions, arcade games, or similar outdoor activities.”
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Before you start picturing a roller coaster roaring past the department store’s windows, a few caveats apply: no specific rides have been announced, no operator has been selected and there’s no opening date. (A Ferris wheel was one possibility floated in The City Reporter’s coverage.)
And that “permanent carnival” question? The bid explicitly prohibits permanent infrastructure. Structures must be movable and the operator may have to relocate temporarily to accommodate other plaza events. The initial agreement would run for one year, with four possible one-year renewals, subject to the Partnership’s agreement with the Department of Transportation. Attractions could become a recurring presence for years, but nothing is guaranteed.
The proposed location is the pedestrian plaza space along Broadway and Sixth Avenue between West 32nd and West 36th Streets, connected to Herald and Greeley Square parks. Today, it offers tables, chairs, umbrellas and a place to sit amid the bustle of Midtown.
That public-space function helps explain why the prospect could be contentious. The City Reporter notes that the Partnership’s block-long bounce-house installations in 2022 and 2023 drew both enthusiastic reviews and complaints, including cyclist concerns about distraction. Those reactions concerned earlier attractions; the report doesn’t establish an organized opposition campaign against this new bid. (Greeley Square was also temporarily home to a double-decker carousel during the 2025 holiday season.)
The proposal also includes rules intended to keep the plaza usable. Attractions cannot block pedestrian walkways or compromise public safety. The operator must provide seating, which generally cannot be reserved exclusively for customers without DOT approval, plus security and continuous cleanup. Operating hours would require approval as well, with nothing allowed before 7 am or after 11 pm. The Partnership and DOT would also review prices and the operator would need to supply its own water and power.
Businesses have until 10am on October 13 to submit proposals, including designs, safety plans and an annual fee offer. The Partnership can reject every submission or withdraw the request altogether.
Your next Macy’s trip might come with a side of carnival games—but for now, the only ride confirmed in Herald Square is the escalator.