This past weekend, New York City saw another edition of the inaugural Governors Ball at Flushing Meadows Corona Park and it was nothing short of magical. The festival features music of all genres giving attendees the opportunity to experience new music as well as enjoy some of their favorite artists in action. Here is a break down of all that happened this year’s Governors Ball festival.
DAY 1
Fans gathered at the gates of the festival way before the doors even opened for Day 1 of Gov Ball. Once the doors opened, attendees hurried in to explore to incredible festival grounds that featured many attractions. A major highlight of Day 1 belonged to Diplo as he performed on the Gov Ball mainstage at an earlier than usual time of 4:45. Although he performed an earlier set, Diplo had one of the biggest crowds of the entire day. After his performance, there was a surprise announcement that Diplo would perform a pop up set at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Lounge. Ice Spice took the stage later that evening on the GoPuff stage and received a huge ovation from the crowd even though there there was a minor drizzle in the air. Towards the end of the evening, attendees had to choose who they would catch for the closing act. Lil Uzi Vert was set to close out the GoPuff stage while Lizzo took the prepared to wow her fans on the main stage. Didn’t matter who you selected to close out the day, both acts left you in awe and excited for everything else that was in store for the weekend.
DAY 2
The second day of the festival began with some incredible talents including music from Flipturn, Sarah Kinsley Evan Giia and more. One of the highlights of the day went to Aespa, who were the first ever K-Pop group to perform at Governors Ball in the history of the festival. The energy from the crowd was electric as everyone roared with excitement once the group appeared on the stage and their mesmerizing choreography began. Another incredible highlight of Day 2 was the performance by Lauv. He put on an outstanding performance with his melodic vocals that had everyone in attendance singing along. However, the most anticipated and overall best performance of the weekend belonged to ODESZA. The American electronic music duo took the Mainstage for the closing act of the evening. Their performance was a very unique experience featuring various different elements from trumpet players, their famous drum line, lasers that lit up the sky and of course a lot of fireworks to close out the evening. They played all their biggest hits and ended the night with ‘The Last Goodbye’.
DAY 3
The final day of any festival is always very bittersweet with fans who have attended the previous days probably feeling a bit fatigued from all the dancing but at the same time wishing there was just 1 more day to party at Governors Ball. Similar to the first 2 days of the festival, the final day was filled with music across all genres. Sofi Tukker had a very special hometown performance on the GoPuff stage. Their always always entertaining selection of music and playground stage set up drew a full crowd to their performance. Closing out the night and the festival was Kendrick Lamar who put on an unforgettable performance to a packed out mainstage crowd. Bringing out special guests including his collaborators, his legendary performance was one that will be talked about for years to come.
VENUE
Gov Ball has seen a handful of homes throughout the years including Randall’s Island and the parking lot of CitiField but for the first time, this year, the festival has a new home of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The new venue was a big step up from the parking lot venue with a ton of decorations. The iconic Gov Ball Statue of Liberty was on display in the middle of the venue. Compared to previous venue sites, the festival grounds seemed to be much larger which led to a bit more walking for attendees. However, this was all a part of the overall experience by canceling out noisebleeds between stages and also engaging fans with all the attractions throughout the festival grounds.
Being one of New York’s most anticipated annual festivals has a lot of pressure but every year it seems that Gov Ball just proves why they are one of the best in town. The festival just ended but fans are already dreaming of the 2024 edition. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on when tickets go on sale so make sure to keep an eye out so that you’ll be able to experience the magic Gov Ball next year.
