As we begin this new year, music festivals are already upon us. One festival, Governors Ball (Gov Ball), announced its 2026 lineup. Gov Ball is one of New York City’s multi-day music festivals, held in early summer, typically the first weekend of June, at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. This year, three big-name artists are headlining, and smaller, but well-known artists are performing throughout the weekend. On Jan. 6, it was announced that this year’s Governors Ball headliners will be A$AP Rocky, Lorde, and Stray Kids, and that the event will run from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7.
From Jan. 2-5, the Gov Ball Instagram account started teasing the lineup by posting videos around New York City with many stickers and animations, from a puppy to a shooting star. These animations sometimes give a tease of who might be headlining that you might miss. Especially sometimes when they show an animation that is a big giveaway to who the headliner is or who else could be performing at the festival. Not only do the animations give hints to those following along, but the areas around New York City shown in the videos can also provide further clues. After I saw the lineup announced on Instagram, I was so wrong about who I thought would headline. I thought that because they had a green light, it meant Beyoncé would headline again, given her iconic song “Green Light” from her album B’Day. Oh, was I so wrong.
At the same time, I was so shocked to see that Lorde was headlining this year. From her outstanding album Virgin and the completion of her outstanding tour in December, I assumed she wouldn’t be performing as much again until next fall. I’m happy that she is coming back to headline again this year; her performance on tour was amazing, and I’m excited to see what she will do at Gov Ball. Another big shocker I saw on the lineup was Baby Keem. While he’s not a headliner, he is a big name to have at the festival. Baby Keem hasn’t dropped any music since May 2023. So maybe his performance at the festival could tease his return to music. Finally, the last shocker on this lineup was A$AP Rocky. Rocky teased his new album, Don’t Be Dumb, for a while, and now that he has finally dropped it, I think it’s safe to say that he will perform his new songs at Gov Ball.
I’m very excited to see how this year’s Gov Ball will turn out. I think this lineup is very eclectic, yet intriguing at the same time. I just hope it won’t be too hot or too rainy, so it doesn’t cause delays like last year’s weather did, because that was insane. Nonetheless, I think this year’s Gov Ball will still be very exciting and I’m looking forward to it!