Central Park hosts 'CityFest', Christian and Gospel music festival

CENTRAL PARK (WABC) -- When you mix great weather with an all-star Christian music line-up, and of course you are going to have a great turn out. On Saturday evening there was barely an open spot on the Great Lawn in Central Park.

Great music and good news is what CityFest with Luis Palau is all about. Known as the "Latino Billy Graham", Palau teams up with different artists, local churches and non-profit groups to provide a free Christian and Gospel music concert for tens of thousands of families to enjoy. Yankees great Mariano Rivera was also on hand during the festival.

"I'm actually really impressed - I was not expecting. I knew it was going to be crowded, but I was not expecting like this type of setup. This is my first concert anyway, but it is still overwhelming," says Rebecca Hammell.

From families, to church and youth groups, more than 60,000 people flooded the Great Lawn to hear Grammy-Award winning artists Mandisa, Toby Mac, Marcos Witt, and Hezekiah Walker among others.

"Each of these artists, I listen to all of them, I love all their music, so the fact that they're all here, and all these cultures, all these backgrounds, that just makes me smile - I love it," says Bianca Baptiste.

The event marks one of the largest religious events in New York City in over a decade.

Mayor Bill de Blasio even made a cameo appearance.