Governors Ball Music Festival
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The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an array of genres and styles of music, including rock, electronic, hip-hop, indie, Americana, pop, folk, and more. It is produced by Founders Entertainment, a festival promotion company based in New York City, which also produces The Meadows Music & Arts Festival. Aside from the wide variety of music, the festival features a multitude of popular New York restaurants and food trucks, as well as activities and games.
History
2011
The inaugural Governors Ball was held June 18, 2011, on Governors Island in New York City. The one-day festival was headlined by Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, and Empire of the Sun. Governors Ball Music festival 2011 amassed the highest attendance of any event in the history of Governors Island,[citation needed] outselling Dave Matthews Band Caravan and Bassnectar's Bass Island in 2011. Reviews for the 2011 festival were positive, with Flavorwire reporting, "As many area festival attempts often fall flat due to poor execution, the Governors Ball was a pleasant exception to the rule, leaving us looking forward to its return next year," and Gothamist reporting, "A gorgeous day at Governors Island...everyone seemed to leave sunburned and happy."
2012
Governors Ball 2012, the second iteration of the festival, was held June 23–24 on Randalls Island in New York City. Expanding to a two-day event, the festival featured many more acts in order to fill both days. It was headlined by Passion Pit, Kid Cudi, Chromeo, Modest Mouse, Beck, and Explosions in the Sky. Randall's Island was chosen as the new venue of the festival due to the event's growth. [citation needed] Food offerings at the 2012 event included Coolhaus ice cream, Luke's Lobster, Waffles & Dinges, Mexicue, Food Freaks, Philz Steaks, Ports Coffee, and Pie for the People. Activities at the event included lawn games such as cornhole, ladder golf, and croquet (sponsored by Zogsports), ping pong (sponsored by SPiN New York), and silent disco. Reviews of the 2012 festival were overwhelmingly positive.
2013
Governors Ball 2013, the third iteration of the festival, was held June 7–9 on Randalls Island. It was headlined by Kings of Leon, Guns N' Roses, and Kanye West.
It rained heavily on the opening day of the festival, which caused massive transportation delays to and from the island. The festival was also forced to shut down early on Friday evening due to weather-related safety concerns, and several shows were cancelled, including that of headliner Kings of Leon. Much of the festival grounds had become mud by Saturday morning.
2014
Governor's Ball 2014, the fourth iteration of the festival, was held June 6–8 on Randalls Island. It was headlined by Outkast, Phoenix, TV on the Radio, Jack White, The Strokes, Skrillex, Vampire Weekend, and Axwell Λ Ingrosso.
2015
Governor's Ball 2015, the fifth iteration of the festival, took place June 5–7 on Randalls Island. It was headlined by Drake, The Black Keys, deadmau5, and Florence and the Machine. It rained during the second day, but, unlike previous years, the festival was not cancelled. The festival went on, though not without delays.
2016
Governor's Ball 2016, the sixth iteration of the festival, was held June 3–5 on Randalls Island. It was headlined by The Killers and The Strokes. All three days of the festival sold out.
Saturday evening, the festival grounds were subject to heavy rains, but the event was not cancelled. However, Sunday was cancelled due to heavy rain and safety concerns, and fans received refunds; festival management wrote: "The safety of fans, artists and crew always comes first."
The cancellation of Sunday's shows led to some bands' announcing pop-up shows. That night, Two Door Cinema Club played the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Courtney Barnett played a free show at Rough Trade, Prophets of Rage played at Warsaw Brooklyn, and Vic Mensa (tag-teaming with Galantis, who had a scheduled "After Dark" performance) played a sold-out Webster Hall. Late Sunday night, Kanye West announced he would hold a 2 am show somewhere in Manhattan; anticipating this, crowds began to gather at venues across the city. Musician 2 Chainz posted that they would be at Webster Hall; over 4,000 fans rushed to the venue, blocking streets and triggering an NYPD response. Kanye arrived at the venue, but didn't perform.
2017
Governor's Ball 2017, the seventh iteration of the festival, was held June 2–4 on Randalls Island. It was headlined by Tool, Chance the Rapper, and Phoenix. Tickets for the festival went on sale January 6, 2017, and the lineup for the 2017 edition of Governors Ball was announced January 4, 2017.
2018
Governor's Ball 2018, the eighth iteration of the festival, was held June 1–3 on Randall's Island. It was headlined by Eminem, Jack White, and Travis Scott.
Originally, Brockhampton was to perform at this edition, however, the hip hop group was subsequently replaced in the lineup by Pusha T following sexual misconduct allegations involving former band member Ameer Vann.
2019
Governor's Ball 2019, the ninth iteration of the festival, was held May 31–June 2 on Randall's Island. It was headlined by The Strokes, Tyler, the Creator, and Florence and the Machine.
On Sunday, there was a delayed opening at 6:30 pm, and an evacuation around 9:30 pm because of severe thunderstorms. This resulted in the majority of the day's acts being cancelled or shortened.[citation needed]
2020 (cancelled)
Governor's Ball 2020, the tenth iteration of the festival, was to be held June 5–7 on Randall's Island, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It would have been headlined by Tame Impala, Missy Elliott, Flume, and Vampire Weekend.
2021
Governor's Ball 2021, the tenth iteration of the festival, was held September 24–26 in the parking lot area of Citi Field. It was headlined by Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, and Post Malone. This was the first time since 2012 that the festival was not held on Randall's Island, as well as the first time the festival was held outside of its usual early June time frame.
2022
Governor's Ball 2022, the eleventh iteration of the festival, was held June 10–12 at Citi Field. It was headlined by Kid Cudi, Halsey, and J. Cole.
2023
Governor's Ball 2023, the twelfth iteration of the festival, was held June 9–11 at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was headlined by Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, and Odesza.
2024
Governor's Ball 2024, the thirteenth iteration of the festival, was held June 7–9 at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens. It was headlined by Post Malone, The Killers, and SZA.
2025
Governor's Ball 2025, the fourteenth iteration of the festival was held June 6–8 at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was headlined by Tyler, The Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, and Hozier.
2026
Governor's Ball 2026, the fifteenth iteration of the festival will be held June 5–7 at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It will be headlined by Lorde, Stray Kids, and A$AP Rocky.