Governor's Ball - Travel Hymns

Governor’s Ball Music Festival

Let’s kick off our Governor’s Ball review for 2013!

The Governors Ball Music Festival – also known as Governors Ball, Gov Ball and Gov Ball NYC – is a multiple day festival hosted on Randall’s Island in New York City. Originally starting in 2011, the festival has grown exponentially in recent years during its short existence.

The Governor’s Ball caters to a variety of genres including rock, electronic, hip-hop, indie, Americana, pop, folk, and much more. The festival is conducted through Founders Entertainment, an independently run festival promotion company based out of New York City.

Governor’s Ball food is equally famous to the music, the music festival hosting an abundance of renowned food trucks throughout the area. Inspired from other major US music festivals, the Gov Ball includes various activities such as the Silent Disco and recreational games.

Governor’s Ball Ticket Prices

Governor’s Ball Regular GA

3-Day Tickets – $220

Single Day Tickets (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) – $95

3-Day Regular VIP Tickets – $470

Single Day Regular VIP Tickets – $180

Super VIP 3-Day Tickets – $470

Market resale typically reflects original cost.

Governor’s Ball Transportation Ticket Prices

MNHTN Ferry 3-Day Tickets – $50

MNHTN Ferry Single Day Tickets – $20

BKLYN Shuttle 3-Day Tickets – $60

BKLYN Shuttle Single Day Tickets – $25

3-Day Parking Tickets – $70

Single Day Parking Tickets – $30

Are Governor’s Ball VIP Tickets Worth It?

If you’re asking yourself, ‘Are Governor’s Ball VIP tickets worth it?’, our editors say, ‘YES!’. But the Gov Ball is a unique case, offering two styles of VIP tickets. The biggest difference between the two? A chunk of change in the tune of $1000.

Standard VIP Tickets allow you access to VIP viewing areas in close proximity to each stage. These areas offer an escape from the traditional festival experience, built for comfort above everything else.

Governor’s Ball VIP lounges include some fantastic amenities including shaded areas, massage services, recreation games like ping pong and comfortable seating arrangements. These luxury areas also offer your standard VIP cash bar (credit cards can be used as of late). There’s no understating the condition of the bathrooms either – it’s great to escape the humidity with comfortably air conditioned facilities.

Super VIP Tickets allow you access to all the aforementioned perks with quite a bit more.

It starts with car service to and from the Governor’s Ball. This select crowd also has access to a concierge service on-site for all of their customer service needs. This pretty much ensures your festival experience is seamless – definitely can’t be understated if you’re familiar with how these usually work.

It gets better. Enjoy access to the side stages during a variety of different acts throughout the festival. Take the edge off within the Freeloaders Lounge, the exclusive backstage bar with free drinks. Three food tokens are administered every day of the festival to be used at the various food trucks. Finally, receive a merchandise pack that includes 1 festival shirt, 1 poster and pair of sunglasses.

So – Are Governor’s Ball VIP Tickets worth it? Our editors voted, YES. With the relatively low cost for entry level VIP tickets, it’s not exactly price gouging to have a more comfortable experience. The Super VIP tickets are expensive, no doubt, but we believe the advantages justify the expense.

What’s the Weather at Governor’s Ball Like?

No need to be wary of the New York climate – Governor’s Ball takes place when the big city is around its most pleasant average temperatures annually. While there is a realistic opportunity to experience some rain during the festival, when conditions are normal, expect sunshine during the peak of the afternoon, settling somewhere around the mid-80s.

Mid-80’s might not sound like much, but the considerable amount of humidity makes for a somewhat uncomfortable few hours when the sun is shining at its brightest. It’s not uncommon for conditions to hit partly cloudy territory, a welcome reprieve during the long stretch of afternoon.

Conditions can chill down to 60 degrees during the late night – don’t try to be a hard ass and skip out on the warm layers of clothing – you WILL be cold. Do you really want to be fixated on a sweatshirt while trying to take in Dinosaur Jr.? You’re better than that.

Governor’s Ball Fashion

Governor’s Ball fashion? Well, the name certainly implies some high class. As far as music festivals go, we suppose the fashion is a bit more upscale than average. What else do you expect from the procession of Brooklyn hipsters?

Without trying to paint a stuffy picture here, the Governor’s Ball is an opportune time for the local New York 20-somethings to showcase their progressive styles. They’re a little ahead of the curve over here – don’t be surprised to see some of the fashions drift back out toward the west coast when the next music festival season finally rolls around.

Personally, we’re not big fans of dressing to impress – we’re mostly about comfort. But you might want to apply a little more effort for the Governor’s Ball lest you be leered at from the elite. Either that or just leer back.

What’s the Crowd at Governor’s Ball Like?

Wondering what’s the crowd at Governor’s Ball like?

All right, to be fair, we probably aren’t depicting a very good picture of the locals. Matter of fact, the crowd at Governor’s Ball are some of the coolest music fans that universally know how to party. Just get ready for a dense explanation on the transportation details if you’re foolish enough to ask as a tourist.

New York has an air of progressiveness to it. The Governor’s Ball crowd is looking for diamonds in the rough, willing to appreciate newer acts more than other crowds. It’s not all about the big names here and it’s refreshing to see. The majority of artists here receive an awesome reception.

Governor’s Ball Food and Beverages

The Governor’s Ball food and beverages are some of the most renowned as far as music festivals go. There’s something for everyone here, regardless of your dietary needs. The Governor’s Ball 2013 will feature,

Rickshaw Dumpling Bar – Classic dumplings using ingredients like pork, chives and Peking Duck. All dumplings come paired with specific dipping sauces.

Mile End – Jewish delicatessen serving many Jewish comfort foods including hand-slcied smoked meat, chicken soup and more.

Cool Haus Ice Cream Sandwiches – Ice cream sandwiches utilizing organic and natural ingredients wherever possible. Try the Candied Bacon ice cream!

Porchetta – Specializing in roasted pork with crispy skin, highly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spcies, garlic, sage, rosemary and wild fennel pollen.

For a full list of the Governor’s Ball Food and Beverages 2013, venture over to our original post.

Governor’s Ball Bathrooms

Really nothing out of the ordinary to report on here. The bathroom facilities are some of the cleanest we’ve encountered and don’t take on the form of miserable saunas from the moment you shut the door. Festival goers, rejoice.

Governor’s Ball Drug Use

New York City has some shady areas to it, no doubt about it. It’s not terribly difficult to secure drugs in the vicinity of the festival but we will not the risk of ‘what am I buying?’ is considerably higher out here. With the sheer amount of people and changing hands out here, you really have to know what you’re getting into to even attempt responsible drug usage.

Cocaine is pretty common out here, a popular form of indulgence of many locals. The potency is never anything on the level of ‘fishscale’ – pure cocaine you really need a strong inside source to purchase – but that hardly means you should overcompensate with less potent strains.

Purchasing your drugs ahead of Governor’s Ball is generally pretty easy provided you have friends in the area. Like many other music festivals, we receive scattered reports all the time indicating purchasing drugs inside the venue is possible but presents its own hurdles.

The drug usage postings have been a regular staple of these festival write-ups, not because we’re advocating as much as just choosing not to be naïve about the situation. Drugs and music festivals traditionally go hand in hand. Just, you know, don’t be an idiot.