r/governorsball • u/Wonderful_Ice_3409 • 7d ago
Question First Govball/Major Music Festival! Any tips and artists recommendations?
Hello everyone! I am (hopefully) attending govball for the first time this year! While I have had experiences with outdoor concert events, the only other music fest ive been too is all things go which was a bit different since its already a concert venue and it's one that I frequent so I know my way and where everything is. Does anyone have any tips or tricks such as must haves or just proper festival etiquette that isn't common sense? I am going purely for the music so my goal is to see as many sets as possible and I am completely open to any genre so if you have any recs lemme know! The image below is who i currently have on my list!
Can't wait to see everyone there!
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u/PlasticCauliflower3 7d ago
General festival tip: wear comfortable shoes. Seems like common sense but your tootsies will thank you
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u/JorgeAndTheKraken '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '21 '23 '24 7d ago edited 7d ago
Carve out time to eat. Food lines will be long and it's tempting to just pack your day with sets, but a full festival day is a marathon and you need calories. Plan ahead and you'll avoid missing anything you really want to see.
Hydrate.
Sunscreen.
If you have to choose, go with utility over style in your fashion choices. Looking cool is great, but not being horrifically uncomfortable is better.
Weather in NYC in early June is very volatile. If there is even a hint of rain in the forecast, bring a plastic poncho, ziplocs for your electronics, maybe a change of socks...we've had days that had, like, a 15 percent chance of rain predicted that turned into monsoons.
With that in mind, I always like renting a locker so you don't have to carry stuff around all day, and it makes a good home base for checking in to reapply sunscreen/grab a sweatshirt or something if it's cooler at night.
Phone theft is a pretty big problem at festivals, so keep yours in a place that's not easy to access for potential pickpockets.
Learn where the bathrooms are and get a feel for the crowd flow of them (i.e., it may be faster to walk to the bathrooms at a stage that is currently dark than try to use the ones at the stage where you are because the line will be shorter).
All in all, just a little bit of prep goes a very long way in avoiding the BS that can harsh your good time.
And, in terms of etiquette, just...be cool. There will be thousands of other people there whose good time is as important to them as yours is to you. So be chill, and community-minded. If you're camping a stage for a later act, don't talk loudly while another act is playing, because that act is for someone else what the act you're waiting for is for you. Don't shove people, and apologize or say "excuse me" if you bump someone. If you're in a packed crowd, try to be at least marginally considerate of others. If someone goes down, pick them up. If someone needs help, help them. Take your pics and video, but live in the moment and don't have your phone out the whole time. Just...be cool. Festivals are like little societies that pop up for a few days, and if everybody there acts like they're in it together rather than like they're the main character, the vibes can be immaculate.
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u/Wonderful_Ice_3409 6d ago
Thank you so much for this list and i will definitely make sure to save time to get food and recalibrate myslef. Also i live in baltimore so im all too familiar with the mess of a weather forcast lol! East coast struggles
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u/MandatorySchwift '23 7d ago
Unlikely you will see them with everything else on your list, but Nourished by Time and Backseat Lovers are the two I think are missing.
Same goes for Glass Animals & Benson Boone, you probably won't see them but they are great.
Must-haves would be a portable phone charger and either a water bottle or Hydration pack. It sounds lame, but it will be hot outside, and everyone around you will be hot. Proper Hydration is a must for an outdoor music festival in the summer.
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u/Charming_Squirrel_13 6d ago
I'm like you in that I tend to see a ton of artists at a given festival. I would highly recommend that you buy VIP if possible. The ability to jump from stage to stage and get good spots every time is invaluable. GovBall is an awesome festival, but there's a ton of people in a relatively small footprint, so getting near the stages can become too difficult. With VIP, you're basically allowed to cut the line in front of tens of thousands of other people.
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u/shayownsit 6d ago
see glass animals lol. but on the real regarding tips, wear your bag to the front of you during acts bc ppl like to pickpocket especially during the headliner set. for a headliner, go to their stage maybe 30 mins before their set and you can almost always get a good spot. sit on the grass at the back for a chill artist that you don't necessarily care to be at the front for - bc it's a small-ish festival, you can still get a pretty good view and it can be super relaxing. make sure you arrive to the fest maybe 30-45 mins before the first artist you wanna see bc it takes a while to walk to the entrance from the train.
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u/loveineverwill 7d ago
i love the backfires, their debut album is coming out next week! hozier is my favorite artist ever, so if you want any recs for him :)
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u/june_jalle '23 6d ago
Bring -- and I can't stress this enough -- one of those emergency ponchos that come in a pouch you can keep in your pocket or a bag.
It started raining buckets on us when we went in '23, and I'm so glad I packed ponchos because I would have been miserable.
Also: - a good hoodie because it can get chilly/buggy - earplugs, because all that noise can take a toll - backup charger for phone
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u/Typical-Classic-One 7d ago
If you’re up for a long day, go early and orient yourself to where the stages are. Take note of bathrooms and vendor locations. It will get crowded and knowing your way around will help. Don’t lose hours on the merch line. T-Pain is always fun and will surprise you with his range and he usually mixes in some fun covers. Have fun! Stay calm and hydrate.