It may still be spring for another month, but it is never
too early to think about the upcoming summer music festival season that will
soon be upon us.
The selection of summer music festivals in New York have
only been getting better over the last few years. Between the Panorama and The
Meadows, which are returning after their debuts last year, to the tried and
true favorites like Governor’s Ball and Central Park Summerstage, music will be
flowing through all parts of New York all summer long.
Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, wants to help you
get excited for festival season. Here are 10 music festivals happening around
New York and Long Island that are sure to be a great time.
1.
Governor’s Ball (June 2-June 4): Governor’s Ball
has been bringing the hottest artists to New York’s Randall’s Island for seven
years now. The first of the big three-day festivals (both time-wise and
history-wise) in the area, it has become a top seller considering its indie
roots. Headliners for this year’s three-day festival include of the moment
rappers Chance The Rapper and Childish
Gambino, pop darling Lorde, “newer” rock bands Phoenix
and Cage
The Elephant and veteran artists Tool
and Wu-Tang
Clan.
2.
Central Park Summerstage (June-October): Sponsored
by the City Parks Foundation, Summerstage brings an eclectic mix of live music
to parks all over the city (though most of them are in Central Park) throughout
the summer. There are a lot of big names that come through as part of the
festival, including Mavis Staples (June 3), George
Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (June 11), Elvis
Costello (June 15), KRS-One
(June 25), Ginuwine (June 30), Yo La Tengo (July 17), PJ
Harvey (July 19), Regina Spektor (July 27), All Time Low (July 31), Dashboard
Confessional and All-American
Rejects (August 3), Jadakiss (August 6), Young The Giant (September 13),
and The War On Drugs (September 22) and many more. Though many of these are
ticketed shows, a lot of them are free, which is even better.
3.
Celebrate Brooklyn (June-August): Similar to
Summerstage, Celebrate Brooklyn takes over Prospect Park’s bandshell all
summer, bring out some of the best music and culture the borough has to offer.
Highlights this year include The
Shins (June 15), Yeasayer (June 22), Musiq Soulchild (July 7), Robert
Randolph & the Family Band (July 13), Conor Oberst (July 20), Andrew Bird
and Esperanza Spalding (July 28), Fleet
Foxes (August 1&2) and many more. Like Summerstage, a lot of these
shows are free, so you won’t want to miss out.
4.
River to River (June 14-June 25): River To River
brings a much needed helping of culture to the financial district every summer.
This week-long event is more than just music, but encompasses performance art
and dance as well. All performances are free.
5.
Make Music NYC (June 21): Every summer solstice (first
day of summer), Make Music New York sponsors an event that brings music to
every square inch of New York city’s streets and parks. Specific events include
Porch Stomp (Americana, bluegrass), Punk Island (although that will happen
three days earlier on June 18), The Gauntlet (a large choral performance) and
more. The full schedule of events won’t be out until later this month, so stay
tuned.
6.
Warped Tour (July 8 at Jones Beach): This is a national tour,
but I still like to think it counts. The all-day festival that has been
providing a place for outstanding up-and-coming punk and hardcore bands to be
discovered and allowing established bands to promote their latest work is back
for a 22nd year. This year’s line-up includes Gwar,
Hatebreed,
Anti-Flag,
American Authors, The
Ataris, Big D and the Kids Table, Emmure, Dance Gavin Dance, Hawthorne
Heights, Silverstein and more.
7.
Great South Bay Music Festival (July 13-July 16):
The annual four-day Long Island festival returns this July with one of its best
line-ups ever. Artists playing this year include Taking
Back Sunday, New Found Glory and Saves The Day on the 13th, 311
and The
Wailers on the 14th, Gov’t
Mule on the 15th and Zombies and Eddie
Money on July 16.
8.
Panorama (July 28-July 30): Created by
Goldenvoice, the same people behind the wildly successful Coachella Festival,
Panorama will be back for a second year at Randall’s Island. Like Governor’s
Ball, this festival brings new and established artists together for three days
of non-stop music. This year’s headliners include Frank Ocean, Solange,
Tame
Impala, Alt-J,
Nine
Inch Nails and A
Tribe Called Quest.
9.
Afropunk (August 26 and 27): The Afropunk
festival is not just about punk. It’s about celebrating the music of many
cultures in all forms. Big name artists playing this year include guitarist
Gary Clark, Jr., rapper Sampha and soul singer Macy Gray.
10.
The Meadows (September 15-September 17): The
Meadows will also be returning for a second year this September. Taking place
at Citi Field, the line-up is arguably even bigger than Governor’s Ball or
Panorama. This year’s festival includes Gorillaz’s only announced New York appearance,
as well as sets from Jay-Z,
Red
Hot Chili Peppers, Future, Nas,
Weezer, Run The Jewels, and many more top-name artists. And because this is
being done in September, the weather will be starting to cool down, even though
it is still technically summer.
With all of these top notch festivals happening in New York
in the coming months, there is a lot to look forward to this summer. From
massive multi-genre weekend festivals to more curated months-long affairs,
there will surely be no shortage of great outdoor live music.
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Get ready for summer festival season by picking up music
from many of the bands coming through New York this summer at Vinyl Bay 777 and
vinylbay777.com. Long Island’s top new independent record shop has a wide
selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and
memorabilia to choose from. Browse thousands of titles in store and online.
With more titles being added all the time, there is always something new to
discover at Vinyl Bay 777.
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