Spring and summer is often great time to spend with good friends and family — and fairs, festivals and special events abound across New York this time of year.

A New York City restaurant attorney can help such events achieve success by keeping them on the right side of liquor, restaurant, sanitation and public event laws. The Wright Law Firm, P.C., provided counsel to the recent Googa Mooga festival.

As Fox News reported, the Googa Mooga festival was the first-ever to take over historic Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The festival was also unique in that food took center stage, with music being the secondary attraction. Thus, event organizers had to successfully navigate official scrutiny regarding the venue, while working just as hard to make sure food-safety remained a priority and that the festival remained compliant with applicable food-service and liquor laws.

Named for an old Lee Dorsey record, the Googa Mooga festival hosted 75 food vendors, 20 live music acts, 30 winemakers and 35 brewers. High-profile chefs like Anthony Bourdain, vied for the crowd’s attention with high-profile music acts, including Daryl Hall & John Oates. The festival drew an estimated 40,000 visitors, some paying as much as $250 a ticket to attend over the May 19-20 weekend.

Run by the same team that puts on the famous Bonnaroo festival in San Francisco, the Googa Mooga festival had a leg up when it came to organization and planning expertise. But the truth of the matter is that there are many ways such festivals can go wrong, particularly if investments in planning and sound legal advice are not made in the preliminary stages.

 

• The NYC Office of Citywide Event Coordination in Management is one office that regulates events, including block parties, farmers markets, religious ceremonies, street festivals and special events.

• A special-event permit may also be required through the New York State Liquor Authority. 

And there are many other, more arcane issues that must be addressed. Everything from recycling (NYC requires it), to parking, security and sanitation services.

Another concern is liability. As we saw in August 2011 when a stage collapsed at an outdoor Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair, something as simple as bad weather can turn tragic. Having sound legal advice behind thorough planning can go a long way toward ensuring the success of your festival or special event.

In this case, weather for Googa Mooga weekend was perfect. And, as the Huffington Post reported, the food was even better. Some of New York City’s best food was available, participants included Blue Ribbon, Craft, The Spotted Pig, Tia Pol, Luke’s Lobster, Porchetta, Frankies 457 Spuntino, Crif Dog and many, many more.