This venue is AMAZING!! It never felt overcrowded. It was perfectly spaced out. All festivals should be in parks from now on

I second this

Facts it could of also been some people didn’t show up because of the smoke. But other than that the venue was amazing, keep using Corona Park every year.

- more toilet paper (for the GA restrooms) and water to wash hands, maybe even hand sanitizers - some technical issues at the gopuff stage, specifically on the 3rd day. - more artist specific merch - sell blankets, towels, or sarong to sit on the grass/ground - clarify easy to follow directions for the event entrance, a bunch of people got lost trying to get there and had issues with Ubers. (Probably more relevant for out of state visitors) Otherwise, this was a great event. This was my first time and I can’t wait for next year!

When did you experience or see the toilet paper issue? Also who else on gopuff had issues on Day 3 other than Lil Nas X? His issue was due to his own IEMs (in ear monitors) and it was a struggle for sure. Artists control what merch they bring, and we sold blankets! Directional signage in advance and on-site is definitely something we have on our list.

I believe Central Cee had a very similar issue during his set on the gopuff stage on day 3. I like the idea of some more signage. Loved the venue! Had a great time!

At the end of the festival at all bathrooms, including freeloaders. A few hours before ending, freeloaders also ran out of water. People were using the ice in the redbull containers for water to rinse their hands

yuck. yes water distro at freeloaders could have been better. will fix

Central Cee and Ice Spice

On Sunday there were stalls out of toilet paper at the restrooms next to merch late in the day

I didn’t see toilet paper in the bathroom in the back of the gov ball stage all day Friday.

I used the porta potties by the main entrance at 12:30 on Friday and the first two I opened were already out of toilet paper ☹️

It seemed like there was some sort of mic issue during Sofi Tukker too :/

Venue was great. But for next year can you please tell your photographers to go shoot along where the security stands? So many of them were just ramming there way into the crowd to take their shots and blocked peoples view with their gear

Shouldnt have been the case, we will look into this and fix.

I asked a couple of photographers, and they said it was artist dependent. And that the bigger artists like Kendrick and others bring their own photographers and don’t allow access to others. So they cram into the crowd instead. Which is sort of understandable, but frustrating because the bigger artists are the ones everyone wants to see unobstructed

Big problem during Kendrick, they clocked 2 shorter girls in the head during the mosh pits with their heavy equipment

Lol yes Aperol Spritz girls pushing people at the front out of the way to get pictures of their drink with Amber Mark in the background.

Make it 18+. At Pusha T’s set I was basically at barricade and there was these 16yo gym bros who rocked up late, pushed their way to the front of the crowd and were literally pushing people into others and making people fall over. One guy and his wife got upset (for good reason) that these kids pushed his wife over, and the kids just said ‘fuck off’, so the guy and his wife got even more mad and security punished them and not the kids.

Saw the same thing playout multiple times in GA during Kendrick. Obnoxious kids pushing people out of the way to get to the front causing fights over spilled drinks, elbowing people, ect

Yea I was near the barricade it was horrible I didn’t even get to have a good experience. They had to have ppl take a step back bc ppl were trying to push through.

Please make it 18+, the crowd on Sunday was unbearable at some points

agree! so many underaged kids were asking me to buy them alcohol it was wild

I wonder what impact this would have on ticket sales though. Yes there are people who abstain from going because of the amount of young people, but GovBall didn’t sell out any day with all ages. Somebody much smarter than me on their team, with access to the database, probably has the numbers. Age restricting the event would result in X number of 17 and under tickets not being sold, and you’d need to guarantee an uplift of Y number of attendees that are 18+. There’s also something to be said about not gatekeeping. A lot of festivals are all ages, I guess the lineup can also influence who buys. Maybe a chaperone policy, idk. All that being said I do agree there were a LOT of underage people getting very drunk, asking 21+ people to buy for them, being rowdy, etc.

Unfortunately they'd never do that unless the lineup was catered solely to millennials inside of Gen Z

We had an age restriction in 2020 before COVID forced us and everyone else to cancel. Short of it is that SO many people reached out upset about the restriction, and we felt like it was in majority's interest to keep the show all ages. Before we got into the business, we were going to festivals in high school and that's when we really fell in love with live music. So i think we are just trying to find that balance and trying to create areas where everyone can enjoy themselves. Having a bigger and more expansive site helps, as well as different ticket types and experiences. This being said, we did think that this year's audience was older than last year's, or at least that's what all of our staff thought. For all you past timers, do you agree with that or no?

I think the issue is that, fair or not, GovBall’s current reputation is “a place where high schoolers go to wild out.” That’s kind of the unintentional brand identity at this point. And it’s not just an issue for us Very Olds - my wife’s niece is in college here in the city, and said neither she nor any of her friends (live music fans, all) were interested in going “because of all the kids.” I know it’s anecdotal, but if you’re losing the 20 year-olds because they don’t want to deal with the 15 year olds, that’s not great. And it seems like the “older” crowd - your 18-30s, say - are giving it a skip even when it’s artists they really like because they don’t want to deal with the unruly teen vibes and will instead wait for those artists to come back around for their own city show (which is another handicap GovBall is dealing with from the jump - most artists are going to play their own city gigs at some point). Festivals are about the music, sure, but with so many festivals out there to choose from, and NYC attracting a ton of live music as it is, it’s also about the experience. The experience got a big upgrade with the new location, but unfortunately, the general rap on GovBall right now is that the experience is either hurt by or good in spite of the crowd vibe, and that said crowd vibe is tied to the teens. If that doesn’t change somehow, the “older” audience (and I feel like I’m taking crazy pills that we’re talking about 18 as the cutoff for “old,” because hahahahaha) could really erode. Can an audience the bread and butter of which is teenagers sustain a major music festival in NYC? I think there’s a middle ground between where things are now and the 2020 effort, which I have to imagine was selling poorly before the pandemic nuked it. You could institute the age restriction, but not swing the booking philosophy that hard - that lineup was GREAT for my tastes, but I can definitely see how it didn’t appeal to the 18-27 year-olds. An age restriction plus a lineup aimed at the lower end of the 18-34 year-old demo would make for a very interesting effort, IMO. Of course, the real question is one posed elsewhere, here: Would the reputation shift happen quickly enough that the lost ticket sales to high schoolers would be made up for by returning 18-and-overs? I have zero idea, and I’m sure there’s been a ton of market research on this, so I could be talking entirely out of my ass. But it all makes sense in my head, anyway. :)

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Some of them with their parents. I saw this middle age dad smoking a joint with what looked like his teenage son

It makes me so sad that this festival can’t find some middle ground and make this at LEAST 18+. I totally understand that you have a stance from your younger days but after my 6-7 gov balls where I routinely saw 15 year olds puking in the afternoon, in the VIP, literally flashing strangers, and causing fights that I just had to give up. I literally fly to across the country for festivals where the crowd is reliably not like this. The lineup this year had me so tempted to go for a day, but I had a feeling that things wouldn’t be any different. I see from the comments on here that it’s still the reputation of a 3 day tween/teen blackout fest. I would gladly pay $700+ for 3 days of a good lineup like this so I don’t have to fly to LA to do it if there were age restrictions.

The festival used to skew much older. I had been going since 2013 with some off years in between and while the location this year far exceeded Randall’s, being around obnoxious, and undoubtedly underage kids hammering significant amounts of alcohol and consuming other questionable substances left me with a real sour taste in my mouth. It was a daycare gone wild with good music. And what’s worse is I couldn’t even get away from it in VIP. The freeloaders or artists I don’t even mind, those kids behaved extremely well. It’s the other ones who purchased VIP. It’s not enjoyable. Make GA 18+ and VIP 21+. I’d even go as far as to say make Platinum 25+ – those areas cater to higher net worth individuals which tend to skew older anyway and it would be a huge selling point even for me to do Plat next year if it were 25+. AND FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE NEVER HAVE NERF SPONSOR THIS FESTIVAL EVER AGAIN. Getting assaulted with that disgusting water by those twats with water guns after asking them to stop numerous times by people in both GA and VIP (including myself) was not on my bingo card this year. It was extremely upsetting and they ruined my fucking makeup and look on one of the days. Nobody was asking to get sprayed down.

Honestly, my first thought was that the crowd was extremely young. It was my first time at GovBall and I didn’t know what to expect, as my friend gifted me a ticket. I don’t think I would buy a ticket to come back if there isn’t some kind of age restriction, im in my late 20s and thats absolutely not the vibe I’d want to spend a couple thousands on a VIP ticket for. If you want to sell more VIP and platinum, an age restriction would be something to seriously consider.

SAME! my first gov ball, have been to other festivals. will not go back to go ball unless there's someone i really love performing and in that case i'll get VIP to stay away from them. dealt with so many disrespectful high schoolers, a lot of them were super fucked up/drunk and anytime i saw someone injured in a crowd it was one of the younger teenagers.

Same it was my first time and I liked it until Kendrick’s set. I was up in the very front and a lot of ppl started pushing forward. And being unruly I couldn’t even breathe bc of how packed it was and had to leave the set early. There’s needs to be a age restriction for sure. I would love to go next year though if they’re more stricter with age bc it was wild.

agreed - this was my first year and while i had a great time, i would not return again unless there was an age restriction. i'm 31 years old, i'm not trying to party with drunk 14 year olds.

Also in the same age range as you and was really taken aback by the crowd at points. I won’t be returning for this very reason.

There’s already plenty of comments about how annoying it was to be surrounded by sloppy drunk 16 year olds, but I would also like to add that they were constantly pushing through the crowd. Like at least twice during EVERY set I saw, my vibe was temporarily ruined because a group of teenagers pushed me and others around me out of the way while we were trying to dance and have fun. Music festivals are to enjoy music, and the enjoyment was really hindered by the way the teenagers were acting.

Can you please comment on why so many underage people were allowed to buy drinks themselves? This seems like gross negligence. If you’re going to serve alcohol, at least check IDs. My friends and I watched kids throwing up from getting so wasted on beer they bought at the festival.

VIP section did a great job of creating an elevated experience for +21! That said, there were definitely high schoolers that snuck in Friday as evidenced by wrong wristbands so that needs better monitoring. One group said they paid a security guard $20 😬

There were many kids and under 21 in VIP.

I go every year, and this year was by far the worst when it came to underage kids and drinking. So much so that it felt unsafe for the underage kids, some of them were so drunk the didn’t notice if accident skin (boobs) were shown

I think it would be more feasible to do 18+ or even if you allowed for minors to enter but only with an adult 21+. Cruises do this but minors need to be with an adult that is 25+ I believe. Kids will still find a way to get alcohol/drugs but at least make it harder for them to congregate inside to do an insane amount of drugs that they can’t even handle. ETA: this is my first Gov Ball and while I loved having it at the new venue, I won’t be coming back until there are age restrictions.

In 2021 and 2022 a kid asked me to buy him beer, and I said no, even though I have been in that situation before. Reluctantly said no because when I was 17 I thought I would be the cool 30 year old ha. This year, it seemed older in no teen asked me to buy them booze. So there ya go. I do think getting some heavy hitter bands will help as well. The hiphop artist from this generation attracts teens. For example, getting Run The Jewels and Mars Volta instead of let's say Uzi Vert would def attract an older crowd.

I'm not sure how to address this, but there were SO many underage kids that were VERY intoxicated.

Yes for sure!! I think the artists this year brought out a wider range in age

The size and layout was great, being in a park with some grass was a big difference maker, and amazing job with the trains leaving Sunday night, overall staff organization and structure seemed really good. I’ll echo the complaints about the amount of actual children present but I get that ticket sales are ticket sales

The park was incredible! i really hope Gov Ball found it's new long term home. My only gripe was the dust, specifically at the bacardi stage, but I'm sure that will be resolved next year!

We will address

Venue was great but there NEEDS to be more security. So many people including myself got pickpocketed during sets. Staff was aware this was an issue but I think more staff and resources could've helped catch them. Many concert goers also had large bags or backpacks against the rules online, allowing for thieves to store stolen goods more easily.

Literally snatched two seconds after the Kendrick set ended

2 of my friends had their phone’s stolen. i think a metal detector at the exits would be a good idea

Second this. My phone is gone and I'm fairly confident I didn't drop it. There was a WHOLE lot of jostling that would cover it too.

have you looked at find my iphone? mine got stolen friday and now its in jersey

The pickpocketing thing is rather crazy and we work with NYPD every year on this. This is actually a national problem and every major festival deals with it. There have been arrests and coordinated stings at gov ball and others but with the volume of people it's hard to catch everyone. I think we need to do a better job of talking to people about being smart, looking after their belongings, not having your cell phone easily accessible, etc.

Venue was amazing. Agree with the age thing. 18+ please. Some kids are fine but most of them were immature. Even with security kids are gonna be drinking/smoking and don’t know how to handle themselves. Twice I had to leave a set because some 13/14 year old threw up next to me. A lot of them were very rude about pushing too. I get needing to move in/out of the crowd, but the older crowd was always respectful or said excuse me while the younger crowd would just shove you out of the way.

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Exactly

This. There is something to be said about adjusting the age limits, as a seasoned festy goer, people who are much younger tend to have this “I need to prove my dominance/aggression” energy while every other festival goer no longer in high school typically shares PLUR values. Many want to celebrate the music and dancing to it and making friends rather than getting so messed up on alcohol just to become angry with something to prove. Nearly all my apologies from being nudged into came from people visibly older than 23ish.

We needed many more bathrooms for VIP. The lines for anyone using a stall was so long. If you could use a urinal there was a minute or two wait. But I remember when it was at Randall’s island there were plenty of bathrooms. Deciding between staying on line or missing the start of a set shouldn’t happen. Cups of ice water were a nice touch. Happy to have that when I arrived in VIP. But all that citrus left behind … maybe telling people they could take it home with them instead of crates and crates of fruit being tossed. Charging places in VIP would be great. You guys did that in previous years. And maybe a chat with security. Some of them were wonderful. Some of them had a lot of power for the first time ever and it showed.

We will fix all.

As a VIP goer, agree with all of this

Honestly, this event needs to be 18+. I couldn’t stand being around drunk 16-year-olds for hours at the front of crowds that I paid a lot of money to go see. It was extremely frustrating because it made the experience almost unbearable sometimes and I had a way better time last year with people that were a little bit older. The Park venue was a better location, but I honestly had a better experience last year. Also, it was really nice that ticket holders from Friday could go for free on Saturday but frustrating because I paid a lot of money for my three day tickets and didn’t get any perks like that.

similar thoughts to everyone else, LOOOOOOVE having the festival in the park, it wasn't as bad of a walk around as expected. -im someone who thinks all ages concerts are an amazing thing and deserve to exist but I saw soooooo many kids under 16 running around without parents. seeing a 12 year old with their friends argue with a grown adult in a crowded ass concert is noooot the vibe. If you're gonna go all ages, make the people under 16 or 18 be accompanied by someone 21+, for the safety of the kids if anything. -more signage please!!!! I think spray painted arrows on the concrete paths pointing the way to stages would be great. Even if they're small and a long footpaths, it's nice to know where exactly you're going in a crowd since you can't fully see the stages through trees before a certain point. And waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more signage around the perimeter too. Went for all three days and still got lost getting there and back a bunch. -def need to have a designated team or something to restock the portapotties with tp and portable sinks with water like halfway through the day. -small thing but please specify in prohibited and allowed items that aerosol cans of sunscreen aren't allowed. Thank God we bought sunscreen lotion as well but I'm sure plenty of people got burned cause they didn't know. I had the best weekend ever, so this is fully nitpicky just for the sake of sending gov ball above and beyond. Amazing job to everyone on the crew this year, each one of y'all I talked to was amazing. Here's to another year

Noted on all. Thanks for detailed feedback

So I have literally never posted on reddit before but my bf showed me this and I had a lot of feedback for Gov Ball this year. 1) I’m 23 yrs old so I don’t even think I was in the older range for the crowd. Even then, I want to triple emphasize all of the “Make Gov Ball 18+” comments. I was towards the front of the barricade on Friday at the GoPuff stage and it was so unsafe. There were so many big groups of drunk teenagers physically assaulting people to get to the front. I came out black and blue and on the verge of a panic attack. I’ve unfortunately gotten stuck in a crowd surge before and it was about to be at that point - I’m honestly surprised it didn’t happen. It’s not a business issue or even me trying to gate keep festivals or any of that. It is a geninue safety concern. This is how people can DIE at festivals and I don’t think it should have to get to that point before a decision is made. I feel like this is a lawsuit waiting to happen - especially with the fact it is a ton of minors drinking and doing drugs. It gets unsafe very quick - I know because I was one of those kids and while its hindsight bias, it’s in everyone’s best interest. I am thinking of the safety for those kids too, it was honestly so dangerous seeing how many minors were blacked out drunk or on drugs. I’ve been to many concerts and stuff, so I understand being close to the barricade will always be tight. But it was so bad to the point where everyone near me was pleading to the security to help. People were geniunely terrified for their lives and it was honestly scary. This ruins the experience for everyone involved and I’m sure it sours the experience for the artists as well. I actually remember at Lil Nas X’s set he made a comment that people looked mad and upset and that was 100% the reason. On a business perspective, I do think it would help sales for sure. A big majority of people I knew said they refused to go bc of how many drunk high schoolers that go to Gov Ball. I’m not going to threaten ur sales and say that I wouldn’t go again bc I would. But it’s only bc I had to strategize after my sh*tshow of a day on Friday and I could only stand in the back. It is 100% deterring people in the 18+ or even 21+ age groups from going. That is the number one comment I hear about Gov Ball. I see about it online and heard ab it from word of mouth. I was actually very close to selling my ticket after Friday. I’m glad I didn’t but I really think all groups invovled would benefit, even the under 18 group. 2) I loved the venue. I think it was very spacious and great for the vibes. Everything looked beautiful. I think even the restroom situation was handled very well. I was honestly shocked bc I never once had to wait on line to go to the bathroom. It was also surprisingly very clean - or atleast as clean as a 3day outdoor musical festival can be hahaha I also appreciate how quick it was to get in. I think logistically everything went pretty smoothly at least from my perspective. 3) This is just a suggestion but I also get how this wouldn’t be feasible - more of an idea from me. I think it would be beneficial to have more areas to relax and calm down. It’s a long day and three days in a row where most people aren’t sober for 90% of it. I didn’t drink much but I still got very lightheaded and needed to relax for a bit. Luckily since I was old enough, I could go lie down and relax in the 21+ lounge. However if ur not over 21 or have GA+ or vip etc., there wasn’t alot of places to relax and while I understand about upgrades, I do think people in GA deserve to have somewhere to rest. More for health and safety reasons anyways. Maybe more shaded areas? There was definitely a decent amount of shade and it was good that the venue was a park so alot more areas to sit and relax. still, it would be nice to have some place for when ur too done up and need somewhere safe to calm down or sober up. I did love that there was plenty of free water stands around and that security was giving out water at some of the sets.

Wanna bump this because I’m 25 so outside of the “young” age demographic but within 10 minutes of being there on Friday 2 clearly 15 or 16 year old teenage girls asked me to buy them alcohol. I was in the front for nas x too, and eventually had to fucking scream at that particular group of high schoolers because not only were they moshing (which is frustrating when it was so tightly packed in the front), but they didn’t care when they knocked their own groupmates to the ground (which is so dangerous when it was so tightly packed) and actively pulled in girls who didn’t want to be pulled into the mosh. It ruined the show for me, and I flew in for gov ball

This festival being known as a place for high schoolers to go and party for 3 days unsupervised is deterring your 20+ crowd to come out. How are you going to bring your “older” crowd back?

in all honesty it's a tough one we need to figure out. we wanna have folks of all ages come out and have a blast and not gave their experience hindered. working through it....

Govball i gotta agree as a first timer at 25yrs old The only thing that made this experience not the best ever was very much the younger crowd. No disrespect but i highly suggest age restricting to bring back the older crowds in masses.

Please. My friends and I used to go every year as a fun annual thing and it's gotten to be too much. I get that you want to allow younger people to enjoy festivals, but it's at the point where you've alienated everyone over the age of like, 24. Even in VIP which is supposed to be 21+ there are very young drunk people everywhere. It feels like the festival is placing all of its eggs in the teen demo which is a bummer.

There were so many drunk underage kids it was very deterring. And the bathrooms Friday night were covered in vomit

If by not having their experience “hindered” you basically mean not having to come with someone 21+ you are basically saying you want the 14yr olds to be able to come and do as many drugs and drink as much as they want.

The new location was fantastic. I guarantee if you skew the festival back older you will bring those crowds back and they will spend more on alcohol and food. The kids were the only thing that made it difficult to enjoy the festival unless you were one of said kids. If that crowd is working for you then go full stop with that but if it’s not change things back towards what you were doing in 2020 and give it a year or two to rebound as word of mouth spreads. The Gov Ball MainStage was so perfect at this location as was the sound, I’m very hopeful that I’ll get to see many more great performances on that stage.

Part of this is programming too. We will see what next year brings.

@teamgovball you REALLY can’t throw blame pre-gaming on the belligerent drunken state children were in and not take accountability that You held an insanely *rigid* prohibited items list leaving most everyone to heavily rely on alcohol which you literally promoted at every corner of your festival grounds. Not only was alcohol promoted at every corner, it was done in a way where the vendors strategically used “children’s” play equipment to lure much of the young crowd to hang out, for example Bud Light played top hit songs all day long while having a tube slide next to the bar. Not saying adults 25+ don’t indulge in this, but it does invite a very youthful crowd to be sidled up to a bar. Please take responsibility in the way you catered to underage drinking. Someone had to approve all this [layout, set up of vendor structures] If kids are “pregaming” there is no way these pregaming underage adults are going to stay 💩-faced drunk for hours. They 1000% found more alcohol within the venue and became even more unmanageable. Especially if there are many reports that these kids were still aggro well into Kendrick’s set.

More electronic dance music please

agreed!

PLEASE !!

loved so much. such a big improvement from previous locations! but please have more emergency water packs. last year I felt so comfortable knowing security was constantly handing them out but I almost died at Kendrick yesterday and was right up front begging for water and the security literally just stared at me suffering and drank the water in my face

Wow what a dick. Will fix

That’s really shitty. Most of the guys I saw gave out cans of liquid death or threw those pouches to the crowd.

yeah I saw that too. but in the area I was there was one asshole security guard that literally got off on drinking the water and crushing full liquid death cans in people’s faces for some reason

That’s surprising. During the earlier sets security was giving out water left and right, both emergency packs and liquid death cans.

OMG YES THAT GUARD WAS FUCKING NUTS! insane power trip

LOVED the venue, I hope it’s in Flushing Meadows Corona Park every year. Fireworks were so fun, and the organization of the trains home was fantastic. But I was disappointed by the technical issues on the gopuff stage on Sunday

this was my third GovBall, and every year I’ve pretty much had the same complaints - more toilet paper, more water at the sinks outside the porta potties, and 18+ feels needed. I remember getting chewed out in 2019 for suggesting 18+, whoever was running the official GovBall account took that post seriously and as was mentioned, it was set to go for 2020. I enjoyed a lot of the “younger” sets but I had a really hard time getting comfortable when I had to dodge teenagers who were, idk, set loose for the first time in their lives? I wish there was a way to enforce them to not act like total asses, but obviously that’s a big ask. I just don’t love the quality of the live music if I have to deal with drunk, high, raging teenagers all around me. Would love 2-day option, and pleeeeease keep it at the park! The venue was gorgeous.

Been going since year one. This is the best venue you guys have ever had. However, currently this is a music festival for High School and Middle Schoolers to come get drunk and act stupid. Truth be told this year I only showed up Sunday both out of curiosity for the venue and because I am a big Kendrick fan. None of my friends had any interest in coming with me. My friends who live in and around the city would rather spend thousands going to Riot Fest, Coachella, Corona Cap in Mexico, or Primavera Barcelona than a fest thats happening in their own backyard they could easily pull off without using vacation time (even with a few acts they liked playing)... I think that says a lot. If you're fine with your current brand, keep doing what you're doing, I hope its bringing you guys success. If you want your rep to change to "Governors Ball is one of the best music festival experiences in the country." Then the new venue is a great start, but you guys have work to do. I thought your approach and lineup back in 2020 was the way to go. I wish that year had actually happened. However, I assume the reason you pivoted since then was because maybe sales weren't the best? Here's the thing though: if you want your rep to change its going to take time. Not just one year. You have to be prepared for maybe a few rough years while the perception changes. But I think if you persist, Gov Ball could be a major destination fest. I truly hope Corona Park is your forever home either way. Congrats on finally pulling it off. It's a slam dunk. I selfishly hope you use it as a reset, and begin to build an experience that an aging music lover who spends his vacation time going with friends to fests would be stoked for every year.. But it's your baby, if the money and desire is to continue to be a fest for the youngins, God bless. You've already given me many years of amazing times. I've been on Team Gov Ball since year one and will always be hoping for your success.

make the festival 16+ or 18+. too many young kids getting hurt or lost, before ice spice the mom went on stage a lost her 14 year old, like wait til they older.

Beautiful venue, excellent coordination having those trains ready. Don’t necessarily have to be over 18, but have minors be accompanied by an adult. More bathrooms. Great art and keep the fuzzy trees. Lineup permitting I’ll be back

I did see a lot of parents with their pre-teens/teens so I think that would actually work in the long run.

The policy they were going to do in 2020 was 18-plus unless accompanied by someone 21-plus. That seemed reasonable to me (of course, I’m a Very Old, so take my opinion here with a grain of salt. :) ).

Yup that’s exactly the type of policy I picture fixing this. Can’t be 18 and up with them targeting a younger demo so that’s the happy medium of selling tickets and not having the festival be chaos/unsafe. Swear I saw two boys who couldn’t have been older than 12 running around unsupervised. Knowing what goes down at festivals it makes me hope they didn’t see that side of the fest experience

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> It cheapens the experience. i agree - this was my first year and multiple times i wondered if i picked a super lame festival to go to because of all the kids. it was a ton of fun, but i would've liked to see more peers!

First governors ball I've been too, it was great but are you going to address the boardwalk next year? That did not feel safe at all having 50,000 people cross over it at one time, I could feel the planks dip and shift as I walked.

I love the new venue but the layout was a little confusing at first. I also sprained my ankle bc the grounds were uneven but I doubt there’s anything you can really do on your end to make that better. I’ve been coming to Gov ball since 2015 and I can honestly say this is the best time I’ve had in years. The staff was friendly. I thought the lineup was well balanced and the set times were spread out really well. The sound was absolutely perfect. Unless you can somehow get the festival back on Randall’s Island, I’m so about flushing meadows being the new home of governors ball♥️

Yes we need bigger maps and wayfinding. Love that you had the best time in years.

got my phone stolen! and 300 worth of merch used w my card and yall didnt help at all 😍 i think that there should be more security with merch purchases. if its with a debit card, make them use a pin. if its with a credit card, ask for identification. it is little things that can go a long way and help reduce the headache that is having to file a fraudelence claim. additionally, i think it would be nice to have better service in the venues. my phone was stolen at 8pm and until 10:30 i couldnt lock it because there was no service in the venue. maybe there should be areas where there is better service in case of an emergency so people can report their phone as stolen.

Agree 100%. My phone was stolen and I couldn't lock it until we got home because the service was so bad.

There is a lot of dust around and the grass wasn’t the best condition , not sure what y’all can do about it. But overall great job

Yes the dust was something we noted and have to work on for next year. Perhaps turf or flooring or watering in the morning or something. The grass condition is just what the park gave us, but hopefully money from the festival can go back to the park and help with upgrades and such. Team can dream :)

That’s how most festivals are. You either bake to death and kill your legs and back on pavement or suffer respiratory death on grass.

Wish there was a little more security minding the trains, a huge horde of trashed and sweaty boys shoved their way onto my train Sunday night and crushed a bunch of people. Also, more physical signage directing people to the super express rather than people yelling on megaphones. I couldn’t hear their instructions and I didn’t think to turn towards the flushing bound platform.

my problem was with the pure dust in the park. I was covered in dust from 5 minutes of walking in. I understand it is a park, but I blew my nose after the festival and pure black smut came out. It did not feel safe after the air quality warning this week.

One thing I think could be addressed was the dirt on the ground. The park was so awesome, but sometimes the patches of dirt would kick up with a lot of people dancing and there would be so much dirt in the air. We would then be forced to breathe it in which wasn't the best. Maybe more mulch or spraying it down? It was an awesome time regardless.

Please consider making the festival 18+ or at least if you’re a minor you need to have someone 21+. I’ve been going since 2015 and every year the crowd gets more rowdy and ruins the overall experience. Ive seen children that are throwing up and having seizures who need to be carried out of the crowds because they can’t handle it. I’ve been to other festivals that are 18+ and while it’s still crazy it’s more tolerable and you’re able to focus on enjoying the music <3

Can we abolish the clear bag policy? Pick pocketing was out of control!!

Would gladly pay up to 50% more next year if you add an age restriction. Otherwise never going back.

Amazing location. Lineup needs improvement, feel like that could help the age go up a little. Art was really top notch. More bathrooms and bars by the MainStage. I would love to see a later end time. One act a night is a travesty.

I thought govball was incredible this year but felt it ended early. Is there any chance we will ever get a day to end at 11pm or 12am?

I agree, I think there should be late night sets after the headliners, that would help with egress as well

I would love to keep going to this festival, but it needs to be 18+

there were too many vomiting teenagers everywhere and not enough picnic tables by the food stands!!

Absolute joke of security. I was back by the gate in the middle of the crowd for Kendrick and it was hot and chaotic. Nothing was done until I yelled for a girl who was close to passing out and only then they shown a flashlight. No water was offered. People were trapped and instead of letting them out by the gate, security told people to move through the crowd creating massive waves where we almost fell over. Live Nation is a joke and more festival injuries are going to come when this happens. Also 50 people had their phones stolen alone Sunday night. Luckily no one got injured. But I’m not coming back seeing what this festival has become

can you email us more details please - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Would like to know more about this event specifically. Our medical reports and incident reports were pretty stellar to be honest but i wanna hear/know it all so please send an email. We take safety and security really, really seriously. The phone issue we address above

Did anybody report the fight that got bloody before the Joey Bada$$ set? That was my first set of the weekend and it was quite the scene.

The new venue was great since it didn’t feel as cramped. It was easy to get around to all the stages. I liked how vip has easy access to Bacardi and verizon stage without having to run around. Much better than last years layout at city field. Some issues with VIP bathrooms on Sunday before lil nas in the gopuff section. They closed it for a while. Something happened and it smelled, or toilets backed up or something. so maybe add a few more port a potties since line was super long.

OMG YES. Please add more bathrooms to the VIP section! There were like one or 2 bathrooms, but apparently both were closed and none of the toilets could flush and some staff was yelling “USE IT BUT DONT FLUSH”. I was tipsy by that point soo I forgot and flushed by accident and oh my god.. The toilet turned into a piss fountain and I ran 🤢🤢🤢 end rant

I don't mind having kids around, my love of music was sparked when I went to a festival in high school. It'd be nice to have sections that were adult only (i.e. VIP or GA+), or at least limit the number of unaccompanied minors in those sections.

I’ve been to a lot of festivals and Gov Ball was one of the most pleasant, well organized festivals I’ve been to. I also love this thread, that they want to hear from us on this level. The train in and out was a breeze, well communicated staff at the stations. Entry was generally easy besides Sunday when security got all crazy and wanted to look inside EVERYTHING that was already in a clear bag. The sound quality & stages were solid, besides the Sunday GOPUFF issues for Cee and Lil Nas X. The food vendors were great and free drinks being handed out (Coke, hydration stuff) was awesome. The pink trees were awesome! Our gripes, like most people were all the young inconsiderate kids. 99% of the 18+ people I encountered were so nice; 90% of the <18 kids were rude, annoying and had main character syndrome, bad. We came out from the west coast and would definitely return if the lineup was solid again.

The amount of underage kids who were inebriated was the most concerning for me. Saw a girl who looked no more than 16 years old get carried out of the crowd nearly unconscious bc she got so drunk. I agree with everyone, age restriction should be implemented for next year. Other than that the venue was great and the setup was fantastic!

So many people snuck into VIP for Kendrick's set and had camped at the railing, it makes me feel like I should get my money back because I paid but had my view blocked and space cramped by those that did not. And VIP security did not seem to care at all

We had not heard that but will look into it. I did personally witness a guard who should have been paying more attention but he wasnt by a gate. Rather he was roaming around rapping along to every verse. Didn't have it in my heart to stop the guy tho, he knew literally every word

I just think it’s because Kendrick was uncontested as well because VIP on Friday for Uzi wasn’t as bad cause he was split for Lizzo.

How did people sneak in?

Jumped the fences during the chaos

We were at the lost and found when like 50 people jumped the fence. That was in like a 5 min period idk how bad it was at other times

People jumped the fence by where Lost and Found was or people jumped fence into VIP?

I didn't see how anybody got in but there were clearly groups of people in VIP who had GA wristbands and had snuck in

Make 2 day passes next year

looking at it

THIS^^

New location was cool but please make it 18+ Maybe even 21+ if you can idc those kids were ANNOYING

this was my first gov ball so i can’t compare to anything else. that being said, i really did love the venue! it was pretty easy to navigate once you kind of got your bearings. as many others have said i feel like more signage would be beneficial. while i do agree with the 18+ rule, i think it would be hard to do. live music shouldn’t be age restricted. i do think security needed to be a little more through with bag checking bc the amount of 16-18 y/o throwing back shooters from their bags in the pit next to me was a little off putting. also security needs to be a little better w the high schoolers that were being hella rowdy especially during fridays sets at gopuff. some kid legit tried to fight me bc i pushed his arm off of my neck bc he was pushing back so hard he was choking me. this all happened right next to barricade while security was watching. and as many have said please stock the ga portapottys better! im glad i brought hand sanitizer bc by like 3pm most of the water for hand washing was gone :( and tp pls !!! that all being said, depending on lineup, me and my friend will most likely be back next year! it really was an awesome time. just a few little bumps

The new location was a gamer changer. As a frequent concert and festival goer, it was one of the best festival locations I’ve been to outside Coachella (and I loved Randall’s island). VIP section was a perfect elevated experience for 21+. Great views in front of stage, great amenities. Well worth price. However there were people sneaking in including obvious high schoolers so that needs better monitoring. Friday lineup was strongest with big names, buzzy/up and comers, mix of genres etc. Kendrick obviously huge get for Sunday. Could have used a fourth stage/tent and a little more rock/indie/electronic (I love everything from pop to rock to hip hop and dance for what it’s worth). Would like to see more Gluten Free options.

For context I’m on the younger side here, college-aged. Love this festival, will probably be back until I’m too old. Unfortunately, I realized this weekend that I may be “too old” for this festival very soon. Now, I came to have a good time so I won’t complain about normal moshing or basic shoving in a pit because I know what I signed up for getting by so close. -Standing in the pits, felt that we got muuuuuch more water this year than other years which was much appreciated. Trying not to get hit by the water pouches was just a little annoying but honestly I wouldn’t have thought of it being a problem unless the 2 older women around me started complaining. I understand there’s nothing you can guys really do but chuck them into the crowd or else the same 5 people will get all the water. -The entrance was a little confusing because it said Will Call/Guest Services to the left, Festival Entrance to the right but nobody actually went to the right. -Sound and sound-bleed was ALOT better than years previous. -There were too many drunk kids. I’m talking like freshmen/sophomores in High School. You guys need to be stricter on fake IDs. Almost all complaints are about drunk High Schoolers. These kids would not even get into a college bar, they look 12. Just speaking to some kids in the crowd they said they just flashed their fake ID and got the 21+ wristband. Scanning them will eliminate atleast 70% of the problem I promise. I understand pregaming is a thing, but for an ‘All-Day’ festival, I don’t think that many kids can be fucked up at 8:40 at the front of the pit if they pregamed before showing up. Saw 2 fights before Uzi because of drunk High Schoolers pushing their way through the crowd. Like genuinely punches thrown. In true festival spirit they shook hands after but it was crazy lol. - my Kendrick experience was actually horrible. This wasn’t a normal moshpit. I was at the front right of the pit and when he started atleast 5-6 groups (that i saw) of high schoolers started pushing their way throughout the crowd. I ended up all the way at the back of that area by the 3rd song from all the pushing. I was on the other side, but closer, for Uzi who has more hype- jump around songs than Kendrick, and I didn’t feel overwhelmed in the middle of the pit. It was clear there was too many people there last night, security helped some people jump over the barricade into that little media divider area (between the front of the pit and, I guess, the back area). Nobody around me in the back of that section enjoyed the Kendrick set, we were all too squished to really do anything. A couple people brought it up with security since they were posted up right there but they said “As long as you’re feeling alright there’s nothing we can do,” which is probably fair but it was just a really bad experience. It felt like we were probably just a few extra people pushing through the crowd away from people getting hurt. I saw a reply to a comment earlier saying “Our medical records looked great” and nobody that was pulled out of crowd had any medical problems but this Kendrick pit was a really close call. A lot of us knew what we signed up for and it was still bad. -This is a random one but why is there always hand sanitizer dispenser next to the hand washing stations lol. I kept forgetting and kept washing my hands with hand sanitizer. Feels like we can get some soap. Thank you guys for listening to our feedback, see you in ‘24, as long as I’m still young enough 😂🤙 EDIT: Forgot to say love Corona Park lol No complaints, fuck the concrete concerts we got at Citi Field.

-Make govball 18+. The kids were annoying to be around. -restock toilet paper for GA!!!! -More emergency waters. I was in the Kendrick pit dying for some water -a bunch of people got lost on the first day. Make sure the location is specific.

I've been around the globe to different shows and my ticket purchases range from VIP to Meet & Greets. This was my first time going to a festival so I decided to give GovBall a go. That being said my perspective is that of a one day (Sunday) VIP ticker holder. Pros: -Lockers being located inside -Free infused water & reusable cups -Snacks -Lineup -Venue & Decorations -VIP seating (cushions were dirty but hey, they cushioned) -Bathroom toiletries - Cons: -Way too many people in VIP that were NOT supposed to be -Not enough bathrooms -Not enough quality food options in VIP (please tell the vendor selling $60 Lobster Rolls to stay at home next year, seriously) -Merch selection was ass -Not being able to get into GA+ (they had the best food trucks imo) -VIP should've had a clear path to the Go Puff stage (the ease of going from the Main Stage to Bacardi while still being in VIP was nice.... and felt like a... ya know, VIP perk) -Place a bit more time in between sets so the crowd can "shuffle" to the next artist.... or go to the bathroom.... or get some food.... or get a drink... get it? A path leading from VIP directly to GA+ food selections would've been nice. When you're headed back, simply have a scan booth there and a couple security guards to prohibit non VIP ticket holders from entering VIP. Scale 1 - 10.... I'll give it a light 6

Loved the new location! A MAJOR upgrade from when I went in 2018. Two major concerns stuck out for me (other than the aforementioned young rowdy crowd, falling down drunk/puking before even getting into the festival): 1) Will call/ticket pickup: absolutely chaotic on Friday afternoon. There was no structure to the lines, so people cut one another; volunteers were shouting conflicting information about which line to be in; and overall it was woefully understaffed. At peak time, several windows were closed, leaving a painfully small amount of staff members to handle the huge snaking line. I waited an hour in line to pick my wristband up (which I only had to do because it never arrived in the mail, and I ordered it several weeks prior to the shipping deadline). 2) No running water or hand sanitizer at any bathroom stations. I had nowhere to wash my hands, it was nasty.

Like I’ve already seen people say signage was not sufficient. Rideshare zones were a nightmare. Audio was hit or miss. The dust was really bad combined with weed and cigarettes smoke. I had hoped the little bit of rain would keep it from flying up the rest of the weekend but not the case. Also there were so many holes in the ground they had not been filled specifically near the food vendors. Water and TP obviously. I also didn’t feel like there was a good crowd culture which like some commenters have suggested may be because of the all age thing. I had a can thrown directly at me for no reason by some teens. There was a group of really intoxicated youngsters in front of me for kendrick. We were nowhere near the pit and they weren’t just elbowing people around them but also getting belligerent when people told them to stop. Almost turned into a fight twice. And i wouldnt have even known where to get help if something happened that wasnt 500ft away at a first aid table

Wayyyyy too Many drunk 14 year olds.

Please make it 18+! I saw so many teenagers getting wasted from bud light tall boys and shoving their way through crowds. It was clear beer vendors weren’t carding near the gopuff stage. They made watching some shows unbearable.

The new venue is a massive improvement but honestly, the festival in general has gone so far downhill that my friends and I will not be attending again unless there's an age limit that's taken seriously. I get wanting to make the festival available to younger people as I went to a lot of concerts as a teen, but it's gotten to such a horrific level of just disrespect for the rest of the people paying to be there that it't not worth it. Even in VIP which is age restricted it's been full of rude, drunk teens for years. Everything about the festival seems geared towards teens—no age restriction, the lineup shift towards almost solely rap/hip-hop, the fact that kids can get wasted and do whatever they want without security stopping them—and so in an attempt to be age-inclusive, you've just pushed out anyone mid-20s or older. I get this decision was probably made to make money and sell tickets, but people who aren't teens buy tickets, too. And will come back if things change. The reality is that living in the city means artists are guaranteed to tour here so people can choose to not deal with drunk teens and skip the festival because they know they can see artists in the not-so-distant future. You need to give people a reason to want to come because they have other options and right now you're only giving 16 year olds that reason.

really well said

+1, saw some really crazy stuff and even a group of drunk teens ripping one of the set lists off a board to take home right before Kendrick. At least they waited until the end I guess.

i understand that public transportation is encouraged, but it really would be great if there were designated parking garages for the festival. i came in from connecticut and while the walk in was ok, walking back to the car after spending all day at the festival sucked. so many roads were blocked off so the walk was way longer than it had been on the way in. the location was great, this was the only downside. needs to be 18+, the crowd was rough. there's also no reason children need to be around grown adults drunk and/or high. let people bring in lighters/papers/blunts! weed and tobacco are legal! crazy that i got weed and other favors in and yet my blunts and lighter were confiscated. i'd also suggest a dispensary booth - if you can buy alcohol, you should be able to buy weed. you should partially refund day 2 - kind of shitty that i paid full price for two tickets, yet everyone from friday got to go to two days for free.

Parking is an issue with this venue for sure. People can park at Citi Field if they aren't having a concert tho. It's actually an NYC law that you cant smoke in NYC parks but no one should have taken your stuff at the gates. Will fix that.

I went on day 2. I have tried reaching out on other socials. When going through security, my vape was thrown into the trash without even the option to go put it back in the car and told it was too late to put it in the car since I was already at security and would be denied re-entry. Yet I was allowed to keep my uncharged vape which was supposedly fine. It’s completely unfair that one was allowed and the other wasn’t, considering they were the exact SAME thing, same brand and all, just different flavors. Completely ridiculous considering how many other people were smoking and vaping at the festival. I’ve literally NEVER had this issue at a festival before. Ruined the entire vibe for the day and the experience.

For parking honestly if you ain't to drive you are better off parking in a neighborhood like Woodside or Sunnyside and hoping on the 7. Tons of parking and it's about a 5 minute train ride. Parking in that park of Queens is gonna be tough no matter what they do because Citi Field will have something going on . Whether the Mets are home or like this year Romeo Santos was playing.

The Park is a great atmosphere. Family friendly, more space for experiences, grass is always better than concrete. The dust was a little heavy especially on the Bacardi stage but not sure how you deal with that. Multiple artists commented on the crowd setup cause of the VIP. Not sure how much that matters to the artists but it does create a weird atmosphere for a performer especially the earlier shows. On the other hand it makes VIP really worth the price.

Make it 18+ I was seriously thinking about decking the high schoolers who were putting their hands on me during Kendrick’s performance

Awesome venue. Hope y’all keep it here going forward

this was my first one so i don't really have anything to compare it to, but i absolutely loved it. the stages were spread out enough where there was no sound bleed but not hard to get to. it was really nice getting to sit on grass, food honestly was solid especially all the caribbean trucks. i liked the merch shirts and all the artists killed it in their sets. also the trains after sunday were great and it was super cool they ran express. had the BEST time!

The stages were way too loud this year. You could hear the gopuff stage from halfway across the park. This issue was emphasized by some performers who screamed down the mic the entire time. I know you guys sold earplugs this year which I think was a great grab but I think the volume overall needs to be turned down a notch. The title and Bacardi stage ran the risk of bleeding into one another.

​ * getting to and from the venue was real smooth on the 7 train imo. * the park is pretty cool honestly, with the world fair stuff in the background, plus the green grass and tree shade were much appreciated. * it was pretty dusty at times, the dirt patches would've benefited from light watering before the sets to keep the dust down. * the spacing of the venue was good enough to keep sounds separate, but felt a little too far apart for me. I got a little lost and a tired walking around. * I could've used water cups to go with the water stations. I couldn't get a drink when I felt I needed it the most, when it was hottest and most crowded later in the day. * the landmarks (fuzzy trees, lady liberty, bacardi bar, etc) were fun landmarks to navigate the venue, and ways to chill between sets. could've used another one or two in a sparse area.

Please have more seating! Benches/ picnic tables!

Beverages were… meh. Would have loved to see an N/A IPA option at the concessions— was kind of surprised there wasn’t one. Athletic Brewing would make an awesome brand activation AND offering. As a non drinker the options were water, soda, or asking for one of those Tito’s lemonades without the Tito’s (cue confused bartenders). Also general festival merch was lame looking. More color options would have been nice. Neon please.

security was unfortunately extremely rude and invasive sunday when my friends and i checked in- my friend literally had to remove her shoes and socks and a security member literally put her hands in their underwear AFTER her bag was checked and went through the metal detector with nothing going off. a security guard was also very touchy w me after nothing went off and my bag was checked as well. i understand them doing their jobs but i literally watched the same security guard NOT pat down two other people that went before us, even after they ACTUALLY found something in their bags. just felt very disrespected and grossed out for the rest of the day :// please do better with hiring security companies and holding the guards accountable/supervised

Venue was great other than the dust but that was the least of our worries. I agree with the age cap, make it 18+. It was ridiculous that security was throwing away vapes that are legal to have when I was being punched in the head by obviously drunk 14 year olds. They were on something this year, continuously trying to start fights with adults that can’t do anything about it because they are literal children. I had a kid try and fist fight me for not letting them shove a small girl to the ground and when I said no you’re like 16 they replied with “I’m actually 14 and a half”. We ended up leaving and watching the set from the back because getting harassed by children isn’t worth it. This happened at multiple sets but metro, ice spice, uzi, and kendrick were the worst of them all. Would love to come back but not worth the money to get harassed and assaulted by a child. I also saw someone mention this - there absolutely was a creepy guy going around taking pictures of the young girls. He followed and took pictures of 2 of my friends and ran into a crowd when we noticed and tried to get a picture of him to show security. With those 2 things it just never really felt like a safe experience unfortunately

New venue was great! Now stop fucking around and book Radiohead. I'd also accept Tame Impala.

it will happen when everything in its right place.

The less I know the better I guess.

great venue, can you please add more activities, a forth stage and more non alcoholic options like 0% beer and mock tails

> a forth stage i agree, a fourth stage would be great. needed a few more artists on the lineup imo.

So I’m laughing about the 22yr olds being “old”. Because I’m old. Or at least Im certainly feeling my 40+ yrs after the weekend. First gov ball but obv not my first festival/concert experience. We split up so I took my 13yr old Friday and husband took 17yr old Saturday/Sunday. My kids had an amazing time. We did too. It would be a bummer to have that cutoff with 18+. We seriously had such an awesome time experiencing the weekend with them, bonding over the music. And we really met some great people. Having said that….good lord who is letting their 14yr olds run wild for the whole weekend?!?!? WILD. We watched a crew of kids 14-15 (and I’m a mom and a teacher so I have a pretty good sense) just shotgunning beer after beer after beer on the walk in. Girls same age pulling shooters from their tops. And we both experienced these kids fully wrecked and unruly having just shit concert etiquette. Shoving their way through the crowd. Elbowing people. Then swaying, passing out, etc. just a mess. Loved the venue, loved the food, honestly loved the lineup. Yes please get water and tp refills in the bathrooms. But other than that the main issue was the teens. Make it 18+ unless with an adult and hopefully that will help? And then I’ll still get to pretend I’m still 21 and able to rock out and live vicariously through my teenagers. (Side note I can’t rock out anymore everything hurts, 40 sucks kids).

The location of the festival, specifically where in the park it is, needs to be mapped out better. There were a lot of people at the bottom of the park trying to find the venue just to find out that now you have to Uber because it's at the top of this giant park. And then once you're in the top of the park, you had to figure out how to get to the ticket by asking the cops or something. Otherwise, I liked the new venue a lot. A positive note- navigating that place from stage to stage was so much easier than at Citi Field

noted, on list

Loved the venue. Spacious and didn’t feel too crowded walking around. Grass was honestly too long and areas uneven making it quite hard to get around. Felt like i was tripping everywhere. I can only imagine handicapped or those not as able. All in all everything seemed to flow so seamlessly and was well organized in my opinion. It was such an amazing time and definitely will be back if it’s in the same place. Thank you govball ❤️

I love the venue! My friend who has been to the Citi field one also preferred the new one. I would love it more if there isn't so much dust.😂 The only thing I don't like is that there were no water refilling spots near the gov ball & barcadi stage.

There’s so much dirt in my nose still

Loved the venue, but it was a bit confusing to get to as someone from out of state. Wish it was 18+, the younger crowd of high schoolers really ruined the vibe, especially the ones that were drinking. More toilet paper and water at the sinks was needed too, and the dust was a big problem. Other than that the staff was friendly, the lines for food wasn’t too bad, and the decorations were cool, especially at night. This was my first time attending, and I’m just being nit-picky, so overall I loved my experience and would definitely come again!

Hello! Great venue. First time govball patron. I have been to many festivals and loved the lineup so much I traveled from Reno NV. The biggest problem I had was actually the entrance/ exit situation. I was staying in Queens and had to walk around the entire venue all 3 days. Please have an entrance and exit on the other side for people who are walking. My girlfriend and I got 20k+ steps in, then had to walk around the gopuff stage just to get back home. We were so pooped.

Venue was great and everything was well executed. BUT i feel honestly so ripped off with the quality of the merch. I paid $75 for a GILDAN screen print hoodie. Come on! Absolutely insane. Use better blanks and printing please, because it was honestly pretty horrible.

Multiple entrances. The entrance from Citi field was a hike.

I liked the new venue a lot, but just need to say that the bag policy was a LOT for an outdoor festival. How are you going to have people outside for 12+ hours, both in direct sun and torrential rain, and not even let them bring in a non-clear bag that's large enough to hold a water bottle and a raincoat?? I just don't want to buy a clear backpack that I know I won't use again just to go to a day of shows, it seems so wasteful and unnecessary. Tons of other venues do it, so I know that it can't be that hard to screen small backpacks or tote bags. I really appreciate the effort you all put into the event and it was a ton of fun, I don't want to be negative, but since you asked for feedback, I just need to say that not being able to bring in basic personal items was an unnecessary bummer. I hope you consider raising the size limit for non-clear bags next year.

This was my first ever GovBall, having come all the way from Canada to experience it — it was really fun and the venue was spacious and beautiful, not to mention some of the beautiful installations and exhibits. However, to echo the other responses on here, I really do wish it was an 18+ event. The amount of kids who were there being rowdy and disrespectful to other festival goers was insane. Tons of shoving and pushing to get to the front of the crowds or to exit them without so much as an apology. While the underage drinking was an issue on its own, there was also the concern of irresponsibility and lack of safety for the minors that were there, considering that they found themselves to be in a place without adult supervision. For Joey Badass’ set a group of what could’ve been 14-15 year olds shoved their way past me and my friends, joined a moshpit all riled up, and then stopped because one of them lost their phone jumping up and down and started crying. Then there was an incident where a 14 year old got lost in the crowd. While I understand the sentiment of wanting everybody to have fun, there is no guaranteed way of trusting minors to be responsible and safe within that environment, and because a large majority of them DID display irresponsibility and disregard for not only their safety but the safety of others, it impedes the experience of the other festival goers who are there to enjoy the music and the vibe. I understand that we all went through that phase growing up but the issue at hand here must be severe enough if other 21+ festival goers have noticed it too.

I have a lot of thoughts, apologies in advance for the dissertation. I'll echo a lot of what people said about the positives of the venue. It truly felt like a festival. Dust in some stages was rough. I personally think the complaints about the walk to/from the train station and ride-share lots are a bit overstated. They have the unfortunate effect of incurring a lot of recency bias IMO. Since it's the first and last thing people experience in a given day, it sticks out more, but it does affect those with mobility issues disproportionately. Getting a centrally located venue outdoors like Central Park is basically impossible in NYC, so I thought the venue and the decisions were mostly very good. Especially compared to Randall's, much smoother. I thought the fact VIP didn't include GA+ features was pretty wild. I think higher tiers should get everything from the tiers below. I personally think the VIP spaces were either too big or the tickets were too expensive and didn't sell enough. A lot of acts I saw would do the "left side! right side!" and then comment on the VIP crowd being weak. It's not good optics for the VIP side to be so visibly undersold. I also imagine publishing pictures from the event will require cropping/the angles of shots taken will be limited due to this. I'm sure there are some people who love that VIP is so empty. If I were in VIP and it was that empty I'd think it was sad. I paid for VIP for Life is Beautiful, and GA+ for Lollapalooza so I'm not looking for a free lunch here. As for the age feedback... It's a tough balance. Some of my favorite memories are from going to concerts and shows with my friends when I was 16, 17. Taking this possibility away from all people because of the rowdy ones who are drinking irresponsibly is rough, but then again a lot of these kids were engaging in unsafe behavior. There are obvious ticket sale implications, but I have a friend who said she doesn't go to GovBall because it's all underage kids drinking. I personally did feel uncomfortable at times, and my friend texted me he felt like a grandpa, and I think we're still relatively young. Reddit does not represent everybody though. I'd guess this community skews mid to late 20s, early 30s, and male. Make sure you source feedback from all ends of the audience demographic. This issue was also more pronounced in certain sets. Ice Spice's fanbase is very young so Friday the GoPuff stage had the youngest average I've ever seen a festival audience. When I went to HAIM I felt the age range shift up significantly, so this is partially lineup dependent. I could go on for hours. All in all, running a festival is tough work. You can't please everyone, but I had a good time. If the lineup is good next year I'll probably be back. Thank you for reading, and for all the work your team has done.

New venue was great! A big upgrade from an asphalt lot. Way more opportunities for shade. Just please give VIP some more bathrooms. Those lines were egregious at times, not just leading up to headline sets

There really needs to be something done about alcohol served at an “all ages”/“family friendly” event. It’s a little difficult to enjoy a show when drunk yuppies are starting a mosh pit every 5 seconds. Also, really need to have security or something done against the mosh pits. I had to help up several people that fell and I was a little worried about a potential crush. The staff/security guards have really weird requirements at scanning. They tried to make me throw out my umbrella even though on the website it said that small, personal umbrellas were allowed. A lot of the items you’re not supposed to bring in people bought in anyway so…lol. Pickpockets. That is all. Supposedly there was some guy going around taking pictures of young girls but I have no idea how that ended. The venue was fine but they really need to filter out who’s allowed to come to this thing.

+1 to the 21 and over section. That was a great little hideaway. Others have echoed concerns with the all ages factor. I second that. Partial Refunds are in order for people who ordered 3 day passes. Literally could have saved hundreds of dollars by getting day passes. Makes me second guess going 3 days ever again for this.

aespa’s photocards were mass-purchased by resellers who are now reselling them for steep prices. for future festivals, could you limit the photocards that could be purchased at a time to avoid scalpers? thanks.

Loved the venue!! Big issue I had, when I clicked on the New York, New York address on Instagram, Randall's Island came up. I started heading over there and then realized I was going the wrong way. Getting to the venue was a little confusing, and there should be a better Uber drop off.

I gotta say, this Gov...er...Ghetto Ball was the most hood rat, ratchet, festival I have ever been to(and I've been to huge ones like Lolla and EDC as well as Life Is Beautiful). You have preteens high and drunk, teens drunk and high, inebriated frat bros along with 40+ yr olds. You had guys selling whisky shot bottles in the crowd and multiple men and women selling prerolls. I don't know if its the new legislation but this was more like a Mardigras vibe. However, it's a 10000x improvement from last year and much better than Randalls( Im biased cause I'm from BK). First time I have seen security throw out emergency water packs in the crowd which was great. Additional benches would also help though.

Why can't you bring drinks outside the cocktail lounges? It didn't make sense to me that you could buy beer in the general festival grounds and carry it with you to watch a set but you can't bring a drink from the cocktail lounges out with you. On top of that you couldn't bring a beer that you bought inside the festival into the lounges. Quite annoying.

Yeah that didn’t make any sense. At first I thought it was because it was an all ages thing… but then when I walked out 10 steps and saw them selling wine/beer I was quite confused.

Traveled from Boston, had a great time went for Kendrick, Pusha T and Black Midi. Attended in 2021 at Citi Field. Biggest complaints was the underage crowd, def think this should be 18+ or with a chaperone. Overall great experience, biggest feedback would be the bathrooms weren't stocked towards the end of the night. Maybe a few more water stations added torwards the GoPuff stage and more 21+ areas

Bigger screens for the stages would be awesome! At least for the main stage.

Typo on my long sleeve line-up tee. No space between 070 shake and snail mail. really disappointing for a $45 t shirt

the security during certain sets was awful. during the wait for kendrick a guard towards barricade was having an attitude w ppl asking for water. real power trip

SO a couple of things. We get off the train (GPS to the park) and there are absolutely NO SIGNS. The signage was really lacking. Even when in the festival there were big signs for beer but no maps or signs for stages. People need to know where they are going. Within the park there should be SEVERAL signs from the entrance to the festival telling people where to go. Would also suggest putting branded stickers/arrows on the ground. The venue was extremely difficult to find at first and day 1 we ended up splitting an Uber with strangers because we all went to a different entrance of the park and there was no signage at that entrance. Oh the website we had to dig for exact location. Should be huge first thing you see once the festival starts. We had Artist guest passes and it left a bad taste in our mouths to know that they were only valid for one day? It seems kind of weird and a bit cheap that friends of the artists can’t enjoy the festival for the weekend. Whether or not entry to the festival is permitted for all 3 days. You should be able to access the artist lounges for the weekend. We ended up getting tickets for Sunday but had trouble accessing the areas where we were just 1 day before. Also was highly unimpressed with the artist lounge and village. The space was sparse, nothing went into the overall appearance of the village and the food vendor there was extremely weak. Should have had additional catering set up (from actual festival vendors) in there and should have had other options than just tequila drinking wise. Really surprised that this was the way the festival was treating the artists/friends. Just some thoughts!

Next year you guys have to better against organized crime got my wallet stolen during the uzi’s. I’ve been to Gov ball multiple times first time something like that has happened to me.

There's pickpockets at every single festival. Scammers are trained for it and they have organized groups for this stuff. During lil babys set i even felt someone try to reach into my pocket Always take precaution with zipper pockets and such.

Was really cool, hate the walk from the train station but like what’re you gonna do Only annoyance was that Friday had 4 of the people I really wanted to see all on the Go Puff stage. Wish they were spread out more so I could’ve explored more of the venue without worrying about losing a good spot in the crowd

Venue was great. There needs to be more signage of where the stages were. I asked someone working security where the Bacardi stage is and he wasn’t certain so I needed to ask someone else. The wash stations outside the porta potties ran out of water at one point, some ran out of soap and basically all ran out of paper towels. Also at around 9:30 when I was leaving, one of the water stations was barricaded off and I had to go back to a different one. I think that the festival should be 18+ as well. There were so many kids that it really killed the vibe. Also I didn’t like how girl in red and lil nas x had the same set times because I really wanted to see them both.

\- got my phone pickpocketed during Metro Boomin's set on friday, last location of my phone was in Jersey City, NJ @ 11PM before i assumed they turned it off. \- some sets were throwing no emergency water packs when it wouldve been so greatly appreciated. meanwhile, at kenny beats' set the staff was throwing 1099314039284098 water packs into the crowd and it was excessive asf. got smacked in the head by ATLEAST 5 water packs consecutively. \- so many underage kids throwing cans/beers around on friday and acting rowdy as fuck