Governors Ball: The Experience (2019)

This year marked my 4th (!) time attending one day and only one day of Governors Ball. Last year’s post mentioned how the logistics don’t really change over time, and upon re-read that’s definitely still true, for the most part. But I will recap it anyway because this is what I love to do.

Check-In/Security This year was new for me actually because I took the ferry instead of walking (more on that later). Security was before you got on the ferry, and then once you got to Randalls you just scanned your wristband and waltzed on it. I have no idea if it’s always been like that or not,  but I can tell you that the only other time I’ve taken a ferry to Randalls, for Electric Zoo in 2013, security was most definitely after, not before, the ferry. The line was long and I had to pee the worst I’ve ever had to pee in my whole life, and it sucked. The lesson here (or rather, there) is – don’t meet your friend for drinks before getting on a 20 minute ferry ride to a place where you won’t have immediate access to a bathroom. But that was then, and this is now. 6 years ago me was not the seasoned festival expert she is now.

The Crowd Ever so slightly older than last year, which seemed to average out at about age 16. This year…19? 20? To be totally honest, my friends and I mostly stayed away from the crowd and kind of hung out towards the back of every set except one, so we generally didn’t get all up in anyone else’s space. It was definitely an Instagram fanatic kind of crowd, posing pretty much any and everywhere, but…what festival isn’t like that at this point.

Fun StuffI loved the mini golf they had last year but I didn’t see that this time around. They had an area to get your hair done which I also didn’t use, although I LOVED SO MUCH the similar thing they had at Panorama last summer. If you had a Citi card (which I do) you could access a nice viewing deck for the main stage, so we briefly went up there to shield ourselves from the sun. There were the same large tri-fold kind of artistic billboards around, the huge bust of the Statue of Liberty with sunglasses that they always have, and a mini maze of reflective colored plexiglass that some idiots later smashed when they were angry that Gov Ball evacuated early on Sunday due to storms (I was there Friday). People are idiots.

My Panorama space bun from 2018

WaterI brought a water bottle with me but every free water line I saw was longgg and if there’s one thing I really try not to do at festivals, it’s lines. I mean this. When I went to Lollapalooza in 2013, Jess asked me, at the end of each day, what delicious food I ate. And each day I answered with the same thing – steamed buns. Because it was the only food vendor at Lolla with no line. Anyway, we bought water at Gov Ball. Had to do it.

LayoutGov Ball is basically a big blob. They cut it off in the middle and create a narrower pathway between the 2 ends of the festival than I think necessary, but honestly, it’s fine. It works, and I guess that’s the only place they can put that row of vendors? Not sure, and no one cares.

TransportationI said last year that I would never pay for the bus or the ferry when walking across 125th Street is so easy. I stand by that. But this year I bought a pass off StubHub and my ticket came with a free ferry wristband! So we ferried it up, and it was actually quite nice. Until the moment when my friend and I went to the front of the ferry to check out the view, and a giant wave crashed on us and we got soaked. It was nighttime and IT WAS COLD. F that ferry. Just kidding, the ferry was still a delight.

PriceAs I said about Boston Calling, city-based festivals are just more expensive than it feels like they should be. But considering I saved $15 by buying a resale ticket AND I got a free ferry pass, I’m pretty happy about my 2019 Gov Ball pricing.

BathroomsHere’s a tip that you, whoever you are, should take with you if you ever go to a music festival. When you arrive, do a lap. Check out the surroundings. What you will find, a good percentage of the time, is the road less traveled. Namely, a bar with a short line and a much under-utilized area of port-a-potties. We found what we called the “secret bathrooms” which truly did feel secret even though they were technically right there next to some much more popular bathrooms. They were great. Go forth and find yourself your own secret bathrooms.

Music recap, on the way soon!