The Governor's Ball Music Festival

For the past few years of my short life, it hasn't felt like the summer season has genuinely begun until I have spent an entire Saturday amongst the madness of The Governor's Ball on Randall's Island.

Let me be clear- I'm a huge proponent of music festivals. They create such an electric environment, and celebrate the incredible power of today's musicians. 2018, however, was the first year that The Governor's Ball was an experience that almost overwhelmed me. This was primarily because it was excessively crowded with people, which detracted from the thrill of live performance.

I saw three artists while on the island: Galantis, Silk City and Travis Scott. Of the three, Silk City was definitely my favorite. To my knowledge, this was the first performance of the Mark Ronson-Diplo duo in history. They had a totally chill vibe that is quite on-trend with the electric house music scene, so I can see this collaboration becoming a major hit. They performed a few unreleased tracks and remixes that would crush a poolside party. The set was recently posted to their SoundCloud, and I highly recommend giving it a listen.

In every other regard, the Governor's Ball checks all the boxes. The art displays were better than ever before, and the food selection was phenomenal. I couldn't deny the classics, and of course the crispy, golden nuggets from The Nugget Spot didn't let me down. Unfortunately I struggle with a never-ending battle between savory and sweet, so later on in the day I indulged in a New York staple- Van Leeuwen's Artisan Ice Cream. Their Royal Wedding Cake flavor (a tribute to Prince Harry & Meghan Markle) managed to provide me with the royal revival I needed amidst the height of my festival exhaustion.

The phrase "good things come in threes" hasn't persisted through history for no reason, and sadly, I think this applies to my attendance at Gov Ball. There's a slim chance I'll return, but I'm glad that it allowed me ample opportunity to some make music festival memories in New York City.