This article is about the famous American music festival. It features a large number of performers in various genres, such as rock, hip-hop, indie, pop and much more. Read more about Governors Ball on manhattanski.
Founding and first steps
Governors Ball is a multi-day annual American music festival. It was founded in 2011 by Tom Russell, Jordan Wolowitz and Yoni Reisman. The festival is organized by Founders Entertainment.
The first Governors Ball concert took place on June 18, 2011 on Governors Island in Manhattan. The main performers of the one-day festival were such artists as: Girl Talk, Pretty Lights and Empire of the Sun. That year’s Governors Ball was a success. It gathered the largest number of visitors compared to other events held on the island before.
The Governors Ball music festival was held for the second time in 2012 on Randalls Island.
Due to the previous success, the festival was expanded, so that year it lasted for two days – from June 23 to 24. Accordingly, the number of performers also increased. Among them were Beck David Hansen, Passion Pit, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi and Modest Mouse. During the year’s festival, visitors were also offered various entertainment such as pin-pong, golf, cornhole and food. Feedback on the 2012 festival was also positive.
Development and future activities
In 2013, the event was held on June 7-9 on Randalls Island. But due to bad weather it did not last long. That year, the festival featured such artists as Bear Mountain, The Knocks, Crystal Castles, Pacific Air, Reignwolf, Young the Giant, Solid Gold, Best Coast, Beach House, Dinosaur Jr., Swear and Shake, etc.
In 2014, Governors Ball was held from June 6 to 8. The headliners were such performers as: Outkast, John Anthony White, Vampire Weekend and The Strokes. In addition to these artists, the year’s lineup also included such performers as Spoon, Fitz and the Tantrums, Kamtin Mohager, Little Daylight, Ratking, La Roux, Little Comets, Foster the People, Francis Edward Turner, Wild Belle, Cristian Cabrerizo and others.
On June 5-7, 2015, the fifth Governors Ball festival took place on Randalls Island. This year, the weather was a bit of a letdown, but the concerts were not canceled. The headliners of the event were: Aubrey Drake Graham, The Black Keys, Joel Thomas Zimmerman and Florence and the Machine. In addition, such performers as Ratatat, Odesza, People Under the Stairs, James Gabriel Keogh, Streets of Laredo, John Sturgill Simpson, Royal Blood, Hermitude, Kiesa Rae Ellestad, Aaron Jerome, White Lung, Marina Lambrini Diamandis, Clean Bandit, Moon Taxi, etc., also appeared on stage.
The sixth festival was held on June 3-5, 2016. The headliners of the event were such performers as The Strokes, The Killers and Kanye West. That year’s event featured such artists as Black Pistol Fire, Anthony Tremaine Dixson, Bob Moses, Adam George Dyment, Megan Sullivan McInerney, Robin Miriam Carlsson, Public Access TV, Louis the Child, Stephen Lee Bruner, Holly Miranda, etc. It is also worth noting that the year’s Sunday concert was canceled due to terrible weather conditions.
The seventh festival took place from June 2 to 4, 2017. The headliners of the Governors Ball were the following acts: Phoenix, Chancelor Johnathan Bennett and Tool. Besides, there were also such artists as Francis and the Lights, Majid Jordan, Blossoms, Charlotte Emma Aitchison, Bleachers, Local Natives, Rae Sremmurd, The Orwells, etc.
The eighth Governors Ball was held from June 1 to June 3, 2018. The headliners of the event were Jacques Bermon Webster II, John Anthony White and Eminem. Other celebrity participants included Jamel Da’Shawn Phillips, Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr., Sean Peter Raul Mendes, The Menzingers, Manchester Orchestra, etc.
The ninth festival took place from May 31 to June 2, 2019. The headliners were such artists as The Strokes, Tyler Gregory Okonma and Florence and the Machine. Other participants included Hippo Campus, Injury Reserve, Hundredth, Calpurnia, Louis Kevin Celestin, etc.
The tenth festival was supposed to take place on June 5-7, 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The headliners of the festival would have been such celebrities as Tame Impala, Melissa Arnette, Harley Edward Streten and Vampire Weekend.
In 2021, the event took place at the Citi Field football stadium and lasted from September 24 to 26. The headliners were such artists as Billie Eilish, Rakim Athelaston Mayers and Austin Richard Post. The festival also featured such stars as Adam Aminé Daniel, Bartees Leon Cox Jr., Elena Jane Goulding, etc.
In 2022, the festival was also held at Citi Field and lasted from June 10 to 12. The headliners were Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, Ashley Nicolette Frangipane and Jermaine Lamarr Cole.
In 2023, Governors Ball took place at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and lasted from June 9 to 11. Its headliners were Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Melissa Viviane Jefferson and Odesza. Other performers in attendance included Matthew Jonathan Gordon Maltese, Tyler James Colon, Sarah Kinsley, Sabrina Claudio, Kim Petras and others.
