The sun bore down on Barbara Harrison as she dabbed at the sweat on her forehead. She then waved an arm in the air, eyes closed, while a singer performed on a stage lit as if for a rock concert.
But the song Ms. Harrison swung her head to was not a pop tune; it was a gospel song.
Thousands joined Ms. Harrison on the Great Lawn in Central Park Saturday afternoon for the largest evangelical Christian gathering in New York City since 2005, featuring one of the world’s leading evangelical Christian leaders, the Rev. Luis Palau, a preacher from Argentina.
The event, which was expected to draw 60,000 people, included attendees of a variety of ages and ethnic backgrounds.
Ms. Harrison, 64, of Jamaica, Queens, said that while she came for the gospel music and the celebration of faith, she was most pleased by the diversity of the day’s congregation.
“With all the stuff going on in our city, all the racial tension, this is a great place to be,” she said. “You can see the unity.”
Even amid the day’s heat and the long lines for water bottle refills, thousands cheered, jumped and danced to the series of musical performances — in English and Spanish — on faith and spirituality.
“Nothing can stop the followers of Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. Jim Bushoven, the community development pastor at Hawthorne Gospel Church in Hawthorne, N.J., who brought members of his ministry to the event.
Members of Mr. Bushoven’s church had been preparing for Saturday’s event since it was first announced about six months ago. Many were excited to bring guests not of the faith to participate as well, he said.
For Mr. Bushoven, the revival’s setting in the heart of New York City carried significance.
“You don’t think of New York as a spiritual place,” Mr. Bushoven said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking at the event, said that the city had a history of religious tolerance.
“Here, people of faith, people of every faith, are welcome,” he said. “That’s why this gathering belongs here.”
Mr. de Blasio, who celebrated the Women’s World Cup championship of the United States on Friday in the first ticker-tape parade held for a women’s sports team in New York, spoke about how the evangelical event is now part of New York’s history.
“God bless you all for participating today,” Mr. de Blasio said.
The event’s featured speaker, Mr. Palau, spoke backstage of the significance of the mayor’s presence given that many in minority communities wanted to see Mr. de Blasio there.
Referring to the mayor, Mr. Palau told the crowd, “Biblically, you are the king of New York.”
For Mr. Palau, 80, who has preached in 100 countries, the chance to give a sermon in Central Park was “a dream come true.” He recalled backstage hearing in his youth in Argentina the phrase that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.
“Who’s in the park?” Mr. Palau asked the crowd.
“God’s in the park,” they yelled back.
Mr. Palau spoke in both English and Spanish of how Jesus Christ is the key to freedom and encouraged people to surrender to God for eternal life.
Organizers said nearly 900 of the 1,700 churches participating in the religious revival were Hispanic, an observation underscored by the use of the two languages, from the musical performances to the speakers.
Beatriz Matos, 28, who grew up in the Dominican Republic and was visiting from Minnesota, said the event was all she hoped for, having always wanted to be surrounded by others of her faith in such a large venue.
“The spirit of God has led me here,” Ms. Matos said.