A new music festival is coming to Portland this summer.

After months of planning, the Portland City Council gave license to organizers who will put on a music festival in Payson Park in August.

The council voted 5-2 in favor of approving the license with Councilors Wes Pelletier and Kate Sykes voting against it.

Sykes cited concerns about using a public common space for a private event. Pelletier said he wasn’t convinced Portlanders wanted a festival like this and that it would likely cater to tourists. He also said he was concerned about the location in Payson Park.

“Festivals are weird and they are held in rural places,” said Pelletier. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to hold it in Portland to me. It seems like a pretty easy political bet that something is going to wrong here and people are going to ask why this was approved if it makes a mess of a beautiful public park that a lot of people use.”

Other councilors said the festival would be a fun event for the city and could stoke the economy. Several councilors emphasized that the license is just for one year.

“This is a one year permit application, it has my support, and I hope that it’s a smashing success and we can have some awesome music in Portland this summer,” said Councilor Anna Bullett.

Councilor Ben Grant also supported the festival, with a caveat.

“I would encourage staff to double down on police in the neighborhood. Doubling down on that service would go a long way in assuaging the fears of the local residents,” said Grant.

Jordan Wolowitz, left, of Shore Sound Entertainment and Tyler Grill of GoodWorks Entertainment in Payson Park in Portland, on Nov. 7. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

The event, tentatively named the Portland Music and Arts Festival, is scheduled for Aug. 2 and 3. The festival will feature national and local performing artists, food trucks and local vendors, according to a memo submitted to the council.

Organizers said they’ll operate a free shuttle service between an off-site parking lot and Payson Park. According to the application filed with the city, bus service will be free for ticketholders. Kids under 12 will be able to attend for free, and organizers will pay $1 to the city for every ticket sold. They will also make a $100,000 donation to the city to cover any potential damage to the park and to pay for a new project in the park to be determined by the city.

The gates will open at 11 a.m. on both days, with music scheduled to run from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The organizers are Tyler Grill of GoodWorks Entertainment and Jordan Wolowitz of Shore Sound Entertainment. Both are based in Connecticut and have worked for nearly 20 years with music festivals and live entertainment. Wolowitz was one of the founders of the New York City-based festival Governor’s Ball, and Grill runs the Rhythm and Roots Festival in Rhode Island.

During discussions, several councilors said they had heard concerns from constituents over traffic, noise and damage to the park. Several councilors also mentioned Seaside Healthcare, a nursing home next to the park, as a concern. Nobody spoke during public comment at the meeting but a comment was submitted to the council beforehand.

Charles Collins, a Portland resident, urged the council to vote no. He wrote that the event denies access to the park “in order to benefit a private organization’s goal of generating revenue.” He also wrote that it would compromise the city’s police resources and shows “complete disregard to those requiring quiet environments while recuperating from illness.”

The event organizers were present at Monday’s meeting but did not speak.

Andy Downs, public assembly facilities director, spoke on behalf of city staff in support of the festival. He emphasized that about half of the park would remain open during the festival, allowing for continued use of the playground and tennis courts. Downs said Dyers flat and the triangle parts of the park will be used as the main staging areas for the festival. Those areas would be closed for the festival for about 10 days, said Downs.

He said the city has been working closely with the police department to come up with an emergency staffing plan. Security inside the festival would be left to organizers, he said, but Portland police would help with traffic and crowd management and emergencies.