With the arrival of summer comes the promise of endless music festivals. As much as these events are about seeing some of the current hit makers and critical darlings of the music scene, they’re even more about spending time with close friends in the sun, sampling delicious food, and immersing yourself in the environment that the festival creates.
Governor’s Ball consistently delivers year to year as New York City’s main event, with a lineup that includes some of the biggest names on the scene of pop, hip-hop, and R&BG, plus a decent helping of indie rock to round out the bill. Held in Queen’s Flushing Meadows Corona Park (the setting of the climax of the first Men In Black movie) from June 7th to 9th, this year’s iteration looks to deliver an unforgettable experience for attendees.
While here in Boston we have our own pop-oriented festival going down, Gov Ball has a little bit more to offer especially for fans of hip-hop and R&B. The two festivals share a number of performers, including Saturday headliners the Killers, new pop sensation Chappell Roan, Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp, plus a handful of lower line bands like the Thing and Blondshell.
The highlights on Friday include Teezo Touchdown, Euphoria composer Labrinth, reggaeton star Rauw Alejandro, indie darling Alex G, plus Magic: The Gathering enthusiast Post Malone as the main headliner.
On Saturday, the can’t miss sets include British singer-songwriter Bakar, rapper Sexxy Red (fresh off a new album release), “Espresso” singer Sabrina Carpenter, pop idol Carly Rae Jepsen, plus 21 Savage and the Killers at the top of the bill. New face Jessie Murph will also perform, an interesting pick on this year’s festival circuit given her limited amount of releases, which to this point seems just to be a few singles.
On Sunday, headliner SZA will get most of the attention, but the day will be rounded out with performances from Brockhampton lead Kevin Abstract, singer-songwriter Faye Webster, R&B crooner Don Toliver, plus the previously mentioned Chappell Roan and Reneé Rapp.
Though the performers get most of the hype, the festival experience is nothing without the other amenities and activities available. some of the food options that look particularly enticing are Gotham Burger, Walter’s Hot Dogs (it’s not summer without a few glizzies!), Dank Nugs, Cafe Habana, plus a collab between Stella and beloved internet talk show Hot Ones. Check the festival’s website for a full list of food and beverage options.
If anyone in attendance needs a break from the pits, they can head to a number of activity areas that are of interest. Red Bull promises a secret warehouse party through a red door. Stella Artois is putting up a social drinking area with limited-edition swag. There’s an arcade hosted by Rakuten, a Forever 21 style shop, and an area to watch the NBA Finals. It will be very fun to watch the Boston Celtics win the finals at a festival in Nww York City, which for being a basketball Mecca, has two completely irrelevant NBA franchises.
Tickets are almost gone so if you haven’t gotten around to purchasing yours, get on it ASAP!