Governors Ball 2025 Event Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Go - Thrillist
There are plenty of reasons to love being in New York City in the warmer months: Mister Softee is serving ice cream on every corner, broken fire hydrants become water parks, and outdoor dining along city streets turns into the world’s best people-watching opportunity. Some of us especially love signs of summer in the city because, above all, it means that The Governors Ball is coming.
NYC’s most iconic music festival is returning for its 14th year and its third at the historic Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. For attendees, the first weekend of June is bound to be jam-packed with great music, incredible food, immersive brand activations, and larger-than-life art installations—including the iconic, 20-foot-tall foam Statue of Liberty bust that Chappell Roan famously matched at the fest’s 2024 edition.
Whether you’re an out-of-towner coming in for your first ever Gov Ball or a native New Yorker ready for your tenth go-round, we’ve got everything you need to know, right here, to enjoy your festival experience to the fullest. For tips about who to see, what to eat, where to stay, and how to get around, dive into this guide to The Governors Ball 2025.
Longtime festivalgoers know that Gov Ball has changed locations a few times over the years. In 2011, the inaugural event was held on, you guessed it, Governor’s Island. The next summer, the fest island-hopped north to Randall’s Island where it stayed for eight years. From 2020 to 2022, it was in the Citi Field parking lot in Queens. But in 2023, Gov Ball got a significant glow-up by moving to the same grounds that hosted the 1964 World Fair, where it’s been ever since.
Spanning 897 acres, Flushing Meadows Corona Park is home to an array of cultural hotspots, including Citi Field, where the Mets play, and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the venue for the U.S. Open, plus the Queens Zoo, the Queens Museum; and the New York Hall of Science. With two lakes, protected wetlands home to various native species, and plenty of greenspace to get lost in, the park is also a beloved ecological oasis in the heart of NYC.
Gov Ball will take place the first weekend of June: Friday, June 6, through Sunday, June 8. The stages, vendors, and activations will stretch across the north side of the park, anchored by the iconic Unisphere in the northwest corner of the grounds. There’s a lot to do, eat, drink, see, and experience across an expansive area so keep an eye out for the official 2025 festival map.
With an eclectic mix of genres and an emphasis on powerful performers, Gov Ball’s lineup has broad appeal. Headliners include: alt-rap visionary Tyler, the Creator, who also played the main stage in 2019; rising Gen-Z pop sensation and noted backflipper Benson Boone; pop-rock princess Olivia Rodrigo; Colombian reggaeton icon Feid; Irish singer-songwriter and TikTok’s favorite “man written by a woman” Hozier; and viral British rock band Glass Animals. A thrilling set of marquee-toppers indeed, but fans who arrive early will be rewarded with electrifying sets from both legacy artists and up-and-coming acts taking over the fest’s three stages.
Gov Ball kicks off strong on Friday with the likes of Auto-Tune icon T-Pain, South African superstar Tyla, Philly-bred punk rockers Mannequin Pussy, and Flatbush rap experimentalist JPEGMafia. Saturday sports a similarly mixed bag including bedroom-pop heartthrob Conan Gray, alternative trio Wallows, R&B auteur Orion Sun, and electro-pop queen MARINA. Helping to close out the festivities on Sunday are: indie sad-girl fave Clairo, American-Ghanian genre-bender Amaarae, British powerhouse vocalist Raye, and Memphis rapper Key Glock.
Unlike some other festivals (looking at you, Coachella), Gov Ball allows attendees to buy one-, two-, or three-day passes. Unfortunately, by time of publication, general admission three-day and Saturday-only tickets were sold out. Those looking for a full-weekend pass can jump on the official waitlist, purchase tickets from a trusted third-party seller, or opt for one of the VIP options, which start at $899 for the full fest. General admission two-day passes and single-day tickets for Friday and Sunday are all still available for purchase on the Gov Ball website.
New this year, Gov Ball will be mobile-entry-only, meaning no more wristbands. Make sure you download the Ticketmaster app or add your tickets to your phone’s digital wallet before arriving.
Fortunately for you, Gov Ball takes place in a city with some of the greatest public transportation in the world. On top of that, Flushing Meadows Corona Park is way more accessible than the Manhattan islands that first hosted the fest. If you’re coming from NYC, New Jersey, Long Island, or Connecticut, you can easily ride the train in. Jerseyans should take NJ Transit to Penn Station, while Connecticut residents can opt for the Metro North to Grand Central. From these stations—or if you’re coming from Long Island—hop on the LIRR or the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point Station. The festival’s entrance is about a 15-minute walk away.
If public transit doesn’t work for you, Gov Ball will have a designated rideshare pick-up and drop-off location. Beware, though, that traffic can be pretty heavy to and from the festival and—with a high concentration of people in the area—cell service may become spotty.
If you’re planning to fly in, the NYC area is serviced by three major airports LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy International (JFK), and Newark Liberty International (EWR). Since EWR is located in New Jersey, it is the furthest option, so keep that in mind while booking flights.
Doors open each day at 11:45 a.m. and performances start between noon and 12:30.
There’s no camping at Gov Ball, so you’ll need somewhere else to retreat to at the end of the night. Thankfully, the festival is easily accessible via train, and NYC’s subway system goes everywhere in the city. For true ease of access, stay somewhere close to the 7 train in Midtown Manhattan or Queens. The festival also partners with hotels (most of which are in Queens) to offer attendees discounted rates which can be found on the Governors Ball hotel page.
If you’re willing to transfer trains and stay a little further out, however, there’s no dearth of options. From Airbnbs in Brooklyn basements to bougie Manhattan hotels that house presidents and celebrities, the Big Apple is your oyster. Heads up though: NYC is expensive year-round and prices skyrocket during major events like Gov Ball. If you’re traveling with a group, consider skipping the hotels and splitting the cost on an entire Airbnb apartment. If that’s not your vibe or you’re going solo, staying farther away from the festival will be your best bet.
If you’d like to be as close to the festival as possible, the Marco LaGuardia Hotel and Suites is just a 20- to 25-minute walk, or a six-minute drive, away from Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Hotel Indigo Williamsburg - Brooklyn is perfect for those looking to explore New York outside of the festival — and without staying in the oft-crowded Manhattan. Cool with crowds of tourists? The Westin New York Grand Central is in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, right by Grand Central Station, and offers easy access to the festival.
No matter where you end up laying your head at night, just make sure you map out the route from your lodging to the festival before you book—you don’t want to end up having to take a bus to a train to another train to another bus to another…you get it.
Every year, Gov Ball brings in an array of amazing restaurants and with a whopping 45 vendors for attendees to choose from, 2025 is no different. Highlights of food and bev lineup include Brooklyn fave Fan-Fan Doughnuts, quintessential NY pizza joint Roberta’s, Cuban-Mexican fusion spot Café Habana, and iconic Harlem soul food eatery Charles Pan-Fried Chicken.
All across grounds and in the VIP sections, bars will be serving $14 tallboy beers and hard seltzers, plus vodka crans and rum-and-cokes galore, and specialty cocktails from the festival’s liquor partners (past options included the Bacardi Gov Ball Punch, Tito’s sparkling lemonade, and Espolòn margs). For those looking for something softer, don’t worry—Gov Ball will also have NA-friendly vendors that are just as exciting as their boozy counterparts. John’s Juice will offer fresh sips served in watermelon and pineapples, and Tea and Milk will be selling highly Instagrammable boba drinks. Visit the Gov Ball site for the full scope of their edible offerings.
Because Gov Ball is a microcosm of NYC, attendees tend to show up in a grab bag of styles and fashion statements. Expect everything from “Pink Pony Club” and Cowboy Carter-inspired Western wear (think bedazzled cowboy hats and boots) to all-black, goth-inspired fits complete with Doc Martens or Demonias. There’s no dress code or common theme for Gov Ball, and simply dressing for comfort is never a bad idea at a multi-day music event. Either way, you’re going to want to wear sensible, supportive shoes that you don’t mind getting gross, since you’ll be on your feet all day and in past years the festival grounds have gotten pretty muddy.
Most important is to know what you can’t bring into the festival. Aerosol products, coolers, video equipment and cameras with detachable lenses, chairs of any kind, outside food and drink, and glass containers are among the prohibited items. Empty plastic bottles, small point and shoot cameras, blankets, and non-aerosol sunscreens are allowed in, however.
It gets super hot and humid in the city in the summer and you don’t want to pay festival prices for a can of Liquid Death, so we highly recommend bringing those empty bottles to fill up at the free water stations, plus sunglasses, a personal fan, cream sunscreen, and a hydration aid like Liquid I.V. Seating is hard to come by and the ground can get nasty, so you might also want to bring a blanket or towel to sit on.
All bags entering the grounds will be searched. Small 6” x 9” bags, as well as clear bags up to 12” x 6” x 12” are allowed in the festival. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is a smoke-free zone, meaning all smoking or vaping is prohibited, so leave the weed and pens at home. More on Gov Ball’s bag policy and a list of what you can or cannot bring can be found on their website.
Of course you’re here for the music (and probably also the food), but each Gov Ball also offers up an energizing lineup of immersive activations, large art exhibitions, side stages, and more. This year’s experiences haven’t yet been announced, but, last year alone: Red Bull built an entire warehouse to mimic the feeling of an underground night club; fintech company Rakuten set up an arcade where players could win everything from stuffed animals to VIP upgrades; and Sharpie helped attendees channel their artsy sides with a full-on crafting station. Previous years included a beauty salon by Halsey’s makeup brand About-Face, a Stella Artois french fry stand, and the Budlight Backyard hang zone complete with swings, a slide, lounge chairs, and DJ sets.
If you want even more live music from the festival’s acts, you’re in luck. Gov Ball puts on gigs from some of their featured artists at smaller venues across the city (and Jersey) all weekend long with its After Dark series. This year, these additional shows include young guitar god Mk.gee at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, a pair of sets from sibling pop duo Wasia Project at Manhattan’s Blue Note Jazz Club, and indie-rock band The Backseat Lovers in Brooklyn at Warsaw. The full lineup and tickets can be found on the After Dark section of the Gov Ball site.
In the words of Hamilton, New York is the greatest city in the world—and with it comes one of the greatest festivals. If you read this full guide and are still not yet sure, let me spell it out for you: Yes, you should go to The Governors Ball 2025.
Annie Harrigan is an associate editor at Thrillist.
