Randall's Island Is Home to Outdoor Fun, Icahn Stadium, and Cirque du Soleil
- About Randall's Island
Randall's Island is located just off the shoreline of Manhattan between the East River and Harlem River and officially a part of the borough of Manhattan. Since the 1930s, Randall's Island has served as a popular recreation destination. Randall's Island is home to Icahn Stadium, a major venue for sporting events and summer concerts in New York City.
Randall's Island Park also features waterfront pathways for biking and hiking, a golf center, a tennis center, and sports fields. Randall's Island is currently hosting the Cirque du Soleil show Ovo. - Directions
Randall's Island is easily accessible from Manhattan.- Regular subway/bus service from Manhattan: Take the 4, 5, or 6 to 125th Street and transfer at the NW corner of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue to the M35 bus to Randall's Island.
- Driving directions from Manhattan: In Manhattan, get on the Triborough Bridge at East 125th Street. Stay left for the exit to Randall's and Wards Island, immediately after the toll plaza.
- Randall's Island Events
Randall's Island hosts sporting events, concerts, and performances throughout the year. Currently, the Cirque du Soleil show Ovo is drawing crowds to Roosevelt Island from Manhattan and beyond. See the latest calendar of Randall's Island events. To get tickets for Roosevelt Island events, visit Ticketmaster or call 212-307-7171. - Randall's Island Facilities
Randall's Island boasts 480 acres of green space and event facilities for New Yorkers. Randall's Island is part of the borough of Manhattan and is easily accessible from Manhattan (see directions above).
More than 700,000 annual visitors attend sporting events, summer concerts and Cirque du Soleil shows on Randall's Island. Current recreational facilities at Randall's Island include:- Icahn Stadium, a world-class track & field facility
- A Premier Soccer Field adjacent to the Stadium with artificial bleacher seating for 600
- 18 soccer fields
- 26 softball and baseball fields
- Randall's Island Sportime Tennis Center
- Randall's Island Golf Center
- Fishing
- Picnic areas
- Playground
- Randall's Island History
The Dutch governor of Manhattan bought Randall's Island from Native Americans in 1637. Over the next 200 years, Randall's Island was used for farming, as a station for British soldiers, as a quarantine area for smallpox victim, a poorhouse, an Idiot Asylum, a hospital, and a rest home for Civil War veterans. The island was purchased by Jonathan Randel (for whom it was named with a slightly different spelling) in 1784 and his heirs sold it to the city for $60,000 in 1835.
In 1933, New York state transferred ownership to the New York City Parks & Recreation Department. After the opening of the Triborough Bridge in 1936, access to Randall's Island was much easier and the island became a popular recreational destination for New Yorkers.
