June 5, 2026, marked the start of this year’s Governors Ball. For those unfamiliar with it, Governors Ball is a huge three-day music festival where artists from different genres perform across multiple stages. There’s not just music: Flushing Meadows Corona Park is filled with activities, pop-ups, merchandise, food vendors, and more.
A couple of weeks ago, my cousin offered my sister and me her wristbands for Governors Ball. Of course, we accepted! I really enjoy going to concerts and new experiences, so I knew this would be a lot of fun.
Right after school on Friday, we rushed to Queens, New York, despite the heavy traffic. We arrived in time to see one of my favorite bands, Pierce The Veil, perform at 5:30-6:30.
Here’s the thing: since there were three different stages, we had to plan accordingly. Pierce The Veil was playing at the Snapchat Stage, which felt the farthest from everything else. But this didn’t stop us from watching their set!
After they finished, we sprinted over to the festival’s main stage, the GovBallNYC Verizon Stage, to watch KATSEYE at 6:35-7:30. They really outdid themselves in the blazing heat. Looking around, I saw that people were having a great time singing and dancing during their performance.
The last performance of the night was Lorde. This was a huge deal to some since she had not performed at Gov Ball since 2017. Since her set did not start till 8:30, we wanted to kill some time exploring. We checked out all the food vendors, but the prices were extremely high. (I spent $20 on chicken tenders and fries!) One thing I liked was the Hydration Station, where everyone was able to refill their empty water bottles for free throughout the day.
While waiting for Lorde to come out, I felt the anticipation in the air. Although I am not a huge listener, her vibe and the songs she played really caught my attention. By the end of the night, my feet were killing me from all the standing and walking, but the experience was so worth it, and I was looking forward return the next day.
On Saturday, my sister and I went early, and we got to the festival at noon. This was a very important day to those around me. I heard people talking about a K-pop group, Stray Kids, who were scheduled to perform at 8:30 p.m., and fans were already lined up by the barricades hours before their show began.
I was very close to the stage, but the downside was the large crowd around me, making it difficult to get out. I was in the hot sun for about 2 hours while watching two artists perform.
The first artist I saw was Wisp, followed by 2hollis. I think their sets were extremely enjoyable, especially 2hollis, since I was next to superfans who had high energy!
Later, my sister wanted to see Blood Orange at 5:30 p.m., so we made our way over from the Verizon stage to the Snapchat Stage. It felt like we were waiting for years. While checking my phone, I opened Instagram and saw a post made by the Governors Ball account. It showed that Blood Orange and another artist, Kali Uchis, had been removed from the setlist due to approaching bad weather conditions.
It appeared to me that other people had seen the post too, and there were tons of commotion. My sister and I were disappointed because we were excited to see these artists the most.
Since we did not know any of the other performers, we decided to go home. I think it was the right decision. By the time we returned to Emerson, New Jersey, it was pouring rain with strong winds.
On Sunday, I knew I would not have time to return to the festival since I had a soccer game in the middle of the day. I missed popular artists such as A$AP Rocky, Dominic Fike, and Jennie. But I think I had a taste of what the Gov Ball experience was like.
Although I attended two days out of three, I still had a spectacular time meeting new people, seeing creative outfits, and listening to music. Hopefully, next year I will go back!
