The Hill News

The pair of rallies to be hosted by Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on the National Mall in October must gain approval from the National Park Service before they can proceed, an official noted Friday.

"The National Park Service is neither saying that it will happen nor are we saying that it won't happen," the official told CBS News, who said that organizations representing Stewart and Colbert had submitted applications for the correct permits. 

Stewart had announced his plan for a "Rally to Restore Sanity" on Thursday night during his program, The Daily Show. Colbert will also participate with his own "March to Keep Fear Alive" event the same day.

The groups have asked to hold the events in the open area north of the Washington Monument, and estimated that they could draw 25,! 000 attendees.

The official said a decision about the permits would likely be made before Sept. 30.