Every year, people flock to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens for an unforgettable weekend of live music. This festival, otherwise known as the Governors Ball (or Gov Ball), brings New York City locals as well as upstate residents together for three fun nights of music and fun.
This year’s lineup of Gov Ball features popular artists, such as Tyler the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, Beson Boone and Hozier. The lineup also includes less mainstream artists like Clairo, Marina, Japanese House and The Beaches. The uniqueness and diversity of the music genres that are performed during this festival attract different kinds of people with diverse music tastes.
MHS Students like Isla Somella (’26) are eagerly looking forward to Gov Ball. Somella explains that she is not attending the festival “for the artists [she] gets to see but for the bonding experience for [her] and her friends.” The music festival is about more than just the music; it’s the bonding experience and the memories that come with it. It’s fun for a whole friend group and something easy to plan for since it’s so close.
Chris Gilder (’26) and many other MHS students are interested in Gov Ball because some of their favorite artists are performing. He is particularly looking forward to seeing Olivia Rodrigo, and states that he’s excited because “Olivia opens the [festival] and she’s one of my favorite artists.” Gilder is also excited about purchasing Gov Ball merchandise. “I like how all of the different artists put [all their amazing merchandise out].”
One unique aspect of Gov Ball is its commitment to featuring underground–or less well-known–artists. They offer a platform for emerging stars to gain traction, whereas other larger festivals focus on mainstream artists. Lillie Nubile (’26) expressed how much she loves the idea of smaller artists being recognized compared to other music festivals where these types of artists aren’t given that “magic spotlight.” The Governors Ball has helped a lot of people like Nubile discover “new artists no one’s ever heard of before, and in exchange, the underground artists gain more recognition from their music just by performing a couple of their songs at these events.”
Gov Ball is a great place to hang out with friends while listening to and discovering artists. So don’t wait and go get those tickets!
