Thursday, October 1, 2026
There’s a little bit of something for everyone at the Governors Ball Music Festival. The popular festival, now in its sixth year and conveniently located on Randall’s Island, between four of New York City’s boroughs and a not-too-distant drive from Nassau County, offers music that crosses a multitude of genres.
But the weekend festivities serve one common purpose – uniting people of all ages for three days of free-spirited fun, while surrounded by a chorus of music, delectable food, wide-ranging activities and more. Most notable was the wide array of popular New York City restaurants and food trucks that were represented on the festival grounds.
Unfortunately, powerful winds, thunderstorms and threats of severe flooding on Sunday shortened the event from three days to two, disappointing fans who were awaiting the main event, Kanye West.
But there was no shortage of other big acts who graced the festival’s four stages on Friday and Saturday, including headliners The Strokes and the Killers, Southern rocker Elle King, folk-pop quintet Of Monsters and Men, Beck, Bloc Party, Robyn, rappers Action Bronson and Mac Miller, punk band Against Me!, R&B singer Miguel, electronic band M83 and sister trio HAIM.
Like any major festival, large crowds can be a significant deterrent to getting close to the stage for your favorite act, but extremely visible sight-lines and stellar audio more than make up for it.
The festival’s first day culminated with an energetic performance by New York’s own The Strokes, who returned to Governors Ball for the first time since 2014. The band played an extensive 20-song set full of their biggest hits, capped off by a rare one-song encore of “You Only Live Once.”
The following day was met by beautiful weather throughout the afternoon. That is, until, HAIM took the stage, when the heavens opened and rain descended upon festivalgoers. But, at the Governors Ball stage, at least, no one appeared to move an inch as they were riveted by sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, whose 10-song set featured two new singles and a tribute to Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U.”
The rains fell once more as the crowd waited for The Killers to take the stage to end Day 2 of the festival, and most – if not all -- attendees will surely tell you it was worth it, as the band, led by its vivaciously charismatic front man Brandon Flowers, sprinkled in hit after hit for nearly two hours from all four of their albums, and even squeezed in an intimate, stripped down cover of Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
The band briefly disappeared for a few minutes towards the end of their set before being drawn back on stage for an encore, at which Flowers yelled to the rambunctious crowd, “You don’t think we flew from Las Vegas to New York not to play “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine?”
The thousands in attendance loudly yelled their approval.
It wasn’t the way it was initially planned, but it was a fitting way to conclude Governors Ball 2016.
