Governors Ball Reclaims New York June 5th to 7th

For New Yorkers, Governors Ball is the home town festival. There are a couple notable EDM festivals, a new country festival this year and numerous summer long series and other festivals but few of them have the wide draw Governors Ball does. The planners carefully curated a lineup this year that is more exciting, at least to this writer, than most other summer festivals. Here are just a few of the acts I’m looking forward to.

Björk was amongst the artists in the initial lineup for GovBall that I hadn’t yet seen (at the time). But then she did a month long NYC residency that was awesome. Even then, I still want to see how her powerful show translates to the open lawn of Randall’s Island.

The Decemberists are another band I’ve caught this year, but their album What a Terrible World… is one of the best so far this year so I’ll be by their stage.

I have yet to see the War on Drugs, but their album Lost in the Dream was one of 2014’s standouts and I imagine it would be devastating to hear out in the early summer air. I only hope they don’t conflict with Weird Al, who I haven’t seen either, as he promises mandatory fun.

New albums this year from Florence and the Machine, My Morning Jacket and Marina and the Diamonds should pull me towards their sets as well.

Outside of the music, GovBall promises a lot of other fun opportunities for attendees, including lawn games, and most importantly, food and beverages. Vendors include popular and very popular spots like Luke’s Lobster with their satisfying lobster rolls and Momofuku Milk Bar with their sweet cornflake cookies. Vegans and those who are gluten-free will have many options.

Governors Ball takes place June 5th through 7th on Randalls Island in NYC. It is accessible by ferry or bus or walking from 125th street’s Metro North or subway stations. Driving is not recommended. Full schedule information and the option to purchase tickets (three day general admission tickets are still available) can be found on their website. The lineup of artists by day follows below. Keep in mind, several bands are doing shows after the festival — “After Dark” as they call it.