Thanks to its popular new mayor Zohran Mamdani and the runaway success of the New York Knicks, the vibes in New York City are astronomically high — and the 2026 Governors Ball Music Festival tried its hardest to maintain that momentum, even as severe weather threatened to upend the entire weekend (June 5-7).
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Returning to Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Gov Ball 2026 kicked off on Friday (June 5), with left-of-center pop darlings Absolutely, Audrey Hobert and King Princess playing afternoon sets across the fest’s three stages. At 4 p.m., indie sleaze revivalist The Dare graced the Snapchat stage with rapturous rave energy that paid no mind to the blazing sun beaming down on the crowd, delivering a much-needed jolt of energy ahead of Mariah the Scientist and Pierce the Veil’s early evening sets.
Before Friday night’s headliners — Lorde and Baby Keem — emerged, KATSEYE was the main event. If the average Gov Ball attendee on Friday wasn’t wearing Cowboy Carter (Beyoncé) or Grand National (Kendrick Lamar & SZA) tour merch, they were likely repping the wildly popular global girl group. Though Manon’s absence was deeply felt — particularly during the group’s awkward and stilted banter — KATSEYE obliterated the stage with precise choreography and meticulous production. KATSEYE drew one of the weekend’s largest audiences for a non-headlining act — and Cardi B and Kulture had their pinkies up alongside the rest of the festival.
And after Baby Keem closed out the Snapchat stage on Friday night came Lorde. A generational artist for younger millennials or elder Zoomers, the Grammy winner impressively recontextualized her catalog with a show that blended inventive lighting design and thoughtful movement direction in her triumphant Gov Ball return.
Saturday began with enjoyable sets from Flowerovlove, Wisp and Spacey Jane, with 2Hollis and Jane Remover keeping the alternative, experimental energy going into the late afternoon. Ravyn Lenae played several songs from her forthcoming new Blue Island album (including an exceptional one titled “Saturday Night”) in delivering one of the weekend’s strongest sets, and Wet Leg was set to be right there with her — until Mother Nature intervened and made “Mangetout” the last song many attendees heard that day. Due to flash thunderstorms that drenched New York for several hours, three acts — Blood Orange, Kali Uchis and Amyl and the Sniffers — had their sets canceled, and Saturday headliners STRAY KIDS moved to an early evening slot. In that period of frustration and confusion, Major Lazer provided an unlikely bright spot, delivering a hit-packed, genre-fusing set that offered some catharsis before attendees made the apocalyptic journey to the 7 train.
Despite pleasant early-afternoon sets from Rachel Chinouriri, Lexa Gates and Hemlocke Springs, weather continued to pose challenges early on Sunday. Slayyyter, who drew a remarkably large crowd despite a lightning delay that backed up the security gates, delivered an instant standout set that doubled as a highlight reel of her terrific new Wor$t Girl In America album. Japanese Breakfast and Between Friends followed with relatively more laid-back vibes, which Holly Humberstone continued by reimagining songs from her recent Cruel World LP.
Blood Orange returned Sunday to play his previously canceled set, offering attendees a more introspective set as Fcukers kept the Grove Stage jumping. To close out Sunday afternoon and begin the evening transition, Geese channeled chic indie-rock bands of yesteryear, Khamari saluted D’Angelo and Clipse made a stellar argument for Let God Sort Em Out being album of the year for 2025 and 2026. Finally, Dominic Fike surprised fans with the live debut of a forthcoming song titled “AI” during his set, which he closed by stripping down to his boxers.
Before A$AP Rocky brought his raucous, riotous Don’t Be Dumb to the festival’s main stage for the weekend’s final performance, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist closed the Grove Stage, while JENNIE drew a particularly large crowd for her penultimate performance; packed with hits including “Dracula,” “Like Jennie,” “ExtraL” and “One of the Girls,” it was the weekend’s only proper solo pop star set, complete with flashy pyrotechnics, slick choreography and multilevel production design. If anything, it felt like an audition for a future arena tour of her own.
Gov Ball 2026 was yet another jam-packed festival weekend. Check out the eight best moments of the festival below.
1. Pinkies Up for KATSEYE
“Hands off, Gabriela-la-la,” the members of KATSEYE — sans Manon, who’s still on hiatus — sang during their sardine-packed set on the main stage; meanwhile, a thousand pairs of hands raised in the air and twisted in sync, the crowd of kids and young adults doing the song’s choreography alongside Lara, Sophia, Daniela, Yoonchae and Megan.
The motion allowed all of the EYEKONS in the crowd to be a direct part of the performance, and even through the rigor of an extremely impressive choreography break — which included wild lifts and big, ruffled skirts in the style of Mexican folk dance, plus hats bejeweled with the Yankees logo — the girls clearly noticed. “I saw a bunch of you guys doing the ‘Gabriela’ hands,” Megan said afterward, floored. — HANNAH DAILEY
2. Lorde, So Confusing
After steering clear of “Girl, So Confusing” on her Ultrasound Tour, Lorde finally incorporated the track – her viral duet with Charli xcx, where they worked it out on the remix – into her Gov Ball set. Though fans may have been momentarily disappointed that Charli herself didn’t make an appearance at the festival to sing her verse, it soon became clear that Lorde performing it solo (and temporarily turning her stage into a nightclub) uncovered an entirely new way of interpreting the Brat remix, offset by “Man of the Year” coming right before it on the setlist. Back to back, the previously unrelated tracks perfectly built on one another and showcased two sides of the ambiguous, complicated experience with gender Lorde has talked about experiencing in recent years. — H.D.
3. Ravyn Lenae Brings Gov Ball to Her ‘Blue Island’
Ravyn Lenae is in the middle of a new era — and she made sure everyone was aware by the end of her Saturday afternoon Gov Ball set. Having just smashed Primavera Sound two days prior (June 4), the Chicago singer-songwriter maintained her energy for a 45-minute trip through her terrific catalog.
Kicking things off with Bird’s Eye standout “Genius,” Lenae immediately established a busier, more elaborate stage show than the one she delivered for most of last year. From animated, expressive choreography that landed somewhere between Fosse and David Winters to her excellent use of a multilevel stage structure, the 2025 breakout star is smoothly transitioning into full-on pop phenom. Not only does her dancing complement her frame and ability, but Ravyn also taps into the high-wattage Motown energy of prime Diana Ross when she’s simply standing still and delivering a powerful vocal, as she did for “Days” and “Love Is Blind.”
The only thing better than seeing how Ravyn’s older music synced with her new stage show was hearing her play selections from her forthcoming Blue Island LP, including the already-released singles “Handle,” “Bobby” and “Reptuation.” But “Saturday Night” — a Janet Jackson-nodding, ’80s-esque banger — was the true treat. And though she closed with “Love Me Not,” Ravyn reminded the crowd that she has so much more to offer than that irresistible hit. — KYLE DENIS
4. Slayyyter Corrals the Wor$t Girls In NYC
If you’re not yet prepared, do so now: Slayyyter Summer is in full effect. The Missouri-bred dance-pop star blew nearly everyone out of the water, drawing the biggest crowd for the festival’s main stage until Dominic Fike and A$AP Rocky closed out the night. Ripping through Wor$t Girl In America tracks like “Beat Up Chanel$,” “Old Technology” and, of course, “Crank,” Slayyyter baptized Corona Park in all of her trademark sleazy, gritty, eternally messed-up Midwest party girl energy. Complete with a backing band that helped drive home the pop-punk backbone of her latest LP and a microphone that stayed on, the menacing lightning and rain preceding her set were ultimately no match for Slayyyter. — K.D.
5. Clipse Continues to Be One of Hip-Hop’s Most Dependable Live Acts
From Jay-Z’s instantly viral Roots Picnic freestyle to new 2026 Hot 100 hits from T.I. (“Let ‘Em Know,” No. 33) and Juvenile (“B.B.B.,” No. 67), the elder statesmen of hip-hop are giving the young cats a serious run for their money. And a lot of that momentum is due, in large part, to Clipse’s culture-quaking, Grammy-winning Let God Sort Em Out comeback last year.
The Virginia-hailing brother duo of Pusha-T and Malice built the bulk of their set around that terrific LP, kicking things off with “Chains & Whips” before finding time for classics like “Mr. Me Too,” “Grindin” and “What Happened to That Boy.” Between their excellent breath control, crisp diction, and relentless energy, these two 50-something MCs delivered a livelier and more engaging set than many rappers less than half their age. And based on the attendees frantically Shazaming in the crowd, Clipse likely walked away with a new cohort of fans who are also less than half their age. Who says hip-hop is a young man’s sport? — K.D.
6. Dominic Fike Generates a New Song
Dominic Fike was in a chaotic mood during his Gov Ball set, from repeatedly encouraging the crowd to try their best to “knock [him] out” if they see him hanging out around the city after the festival to taking off his shoes and pants and running offstage at the end of his performance.
One high point was when he casually played an unreleased song called “AI,” acknowledging at first that he knows the title is “a crazy name right now, but it’s not what you think.” The laid-back track ended up pairing modern terminology with Fike’s memories of bygone years with a former flame, as the Euphoria star sang, “Remember back when twenty of us packed in?/Baby, talk about FaceTime/Yeah, nappy cornrows with them baggy jean shorts, had you looking like AI.” — H.D.
7. Everyone’s Rocking With JENNIE
On Sunday evening, JENNIE delivered one of the weekend’s standout performances, unveiling a new festival set packed with the high-caliber production that fans have come to expect and love. Her performance featured tracks from her 2025 album Ruby alongside several unreleased songs, giving fans an exciting glimpse of what’s next. At one point, the crowd roared when JENNIE teased it with a simple question: “Do you want to hear something new?”
Between her fun but demanding choreography, commanding stage presence and live vocals, JENNIE proved why she remains one of K-pop’s most compelling performers. Her past releases established her star power — and her new music suggests she is only continuing to raise the bar. — KRISTEN WISNESKI
8. A$AP Rocky Reps & Riots for His City
A lot was going on with Rocky’s set before the Harlem MC even touched the stage. Severe weather canceled most of the previous evening; lightning warnings delayed sets earlier in the afternoon; and there was a general lack of hip-hop across the weekend that was conspicuous considering Gov Ball takes place in the genre’s birthplace. For a few select stretches in his 75-minute set, Rocky offered fans a means of escape.
Built around his Don’t Be Dumb LP, which became his first Billboard 200 No. 1 album in over a decade, Rocky’s Gov Ball set featured the “Fashion Killa” as the bridge between two crews: a “SWAT” team clad in all-black uniforms and a mob of rioters doused in white ski masks, durags and balaclavas. He tore through high-octane album cuts like “Helicopter” and “Stole Ya Flow,” before bringing out Dominican rapper Tokischa for the live performance debut of “Flackito Jodye” and revisiting earlier hits and fan-favorites. Well, at least, he attempted to do that last part. Rocky took the stage 15 minutes late, and production didn’t care for his attempts to extend his set, promptly cutting his mic at 10 p.m. The result? A pocket of fans on the right side of the stage had to dodge a flying bullhorn microphone after Rocky threw it into the crowd before walking off stage. What’s more “Punk Rocky” than that? — K.D.
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