The entire process from design, fabrication, deployment and set-up spanned about 2 ½ months. It took approximately 75 people five hours to assemble the stage and an additional two hours to break it down afterwards.
There were three trucks on site with 35,000 square feet of carpet and TAIT Mag Decks were used to build the multifaceted, 70-feet-wide-by-45-feet-deep stage.
Humbling Moment: The Vatican requested to keep the Crucifix!
“The metamorphosis of Madison Square Garden, more usually associated with the pounding sweat of the Knicks and pop extravaganzas from the likes of Lady Gaga and Madonna, epitomised a symbiosis in which Francis became a New Yorker and many New Yorkers became, if not pious, to a certain extent reverent.”
– The Guardian.com
“For one night only: Pope Francis headlined Madison Square Garden. And he awed an estimated crowd of 20,000-plus that packed the Manhattan sports and entertainment arena, celebrating a mass.” – USA Today
Thanks to our partner Production Designer Steven Cohen.
