Governors Ball (Gov Ball) 2025 took place from June 6-8 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park for the music festival’s 15th anniversary, with headlining acts from Tyler, The Creator, Olivia Rodrigo and Hozier.
This year’s weekend of festivities was highlighted by the diverse range of artists, attendees and down-pouring rain that caused disruptive delays but also some unforgettable live moments.
After bouncing from Governors Island to Citi Field, Gov Ball appeared to have found a permanent home at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in 2023. The spacious Queens park offers a more accessible and scenic alternative to previous locations.
The initial decision to move away from Governor’s Island was made after the festival’s incident in 2019, when the island had to be evacuated due to severe weather. Gov Ball had to deal with bad weather once again this year, with rain delaying doors until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, cutting certain sets short and others entirely.
Friday kicked off the festival smoothly with a star-studded lineup and a beautiful day to be at the festival. With Tyler, The Creator as headliner, Friday’s set of artists catered to a wide variety of music lovers, all the way from fans of Benson Boone to JPEGMAFIA.
Highlights of Friday included Mk.gee’s killer intro to “Candy”, Role Model kissing Conan Gray for his performance of “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out” and Tyler, The Creator taking his fans on a musical journey of his career, performing fan favorites off albums “Goblin” through “CHROMOKOPIA.”
With Olivia Rodrigo headlining Saturday, dedicated fans started waiting in line as early as 5:00 a.m. in the park. However, with a forecast that predicted down-pouring in the early afternoon, the festival decided to push the opening to 4:00 p.m., over four hours past the original start time of 11:45 a.m.
“I thought it was a joke at first,” said Celina Sciuto, 22, who had been camping in line since 10 a.m. “I was like, there’s no way.”
With thousands of people waiting to enter the grounds, the scene outside the entrance became a chaotic congregation of eager festival attendees.
“It was just like a blob at the front. They should’ve had better queuing systems,” said Sciuto.
With little to no organization of a proper queue outside the entrance, the line between those who arrived early and those just arriving blurred, causing plenty of confusion and cutting.
“There were a lot of people coming late. You could tell who they were because they were dry. So they were cutting the line.”
Despite the frustrating start to day two, Sciuto still had a fun time. “Luckily, I saw all the people I wanted to anyway, even though some sets got short.”
Other attendees were not as lucky, as certain artists’ sets were cut entirely, including Queens natives Lexa Gates and Yaya Bey, bands like Glasshouse, The Backfires and Die Spitz, and more.
Former St. John’s student turned R&B star Mariah The Scientist, was originally scheduled to go on even after the delayed opening but unfortunately didn’t make it to Gov Ball due to unforeseen circumstances.
Still, even after cut and shortened sets, Gov Ball made the most out of the six hours they had. Some highlights included Marina performing her newly released album, Wallows serenading in the rain and Olivia Rodrigo bringing out special guest David Byrne for a cover of Talking Heads’ hit “Burning Down the House.”
Sunday offered a well-earned respite from the rain, welcoming fans under mostly clear skies with just a few teasing sprinkles. With Hozier headlining, Sunday’s set of artists delivered a mix of rising stars and crowd favorites, pulling in fans across multiple genres.
Highlights of Sunday included Royel Otis delivering a high-energy set with covers of “Murder on the Dancefloor” and “Linger,” Clairo performing fan favorites like “Juna” and “Bags” while light rain returned during her set and RAYE taking the audience through a lesson on reverb. All before Hozier closed out the weekend with a soulful set featuring hits like “Take Me to Church” and “Cherry Wine.”
Even with weather setbacks and timing tweaks, Gov Ball 2025 delivered its signature blend of chaos, community and unforgettable musical moments. 15 years in, the festival’s return to Queens once again proved why it remains one of New York City’s biggest summer traditions.
