When the coronavirus pandemic first began causing major events and parades around the city to shut down, most organizers said they would indefinitely delay rather than outright cancel the events—for example, the St. Patrick's Day Parade organizers say that they hope to still hold it at some point in 2020. But as the crisis goes on, it seems clear that many events will not be able to logistically come together this year. And that list now includes Governors Ball 2020.
Governors Ball 2020 was supposed to take place from June 5th to June 7th at Randall’s Island Park, but that will not happen now. "Simply put – due to current government mandates and the evolving situation in NYC, it is neither safe nor prudent to move forward with our June dates," they said in a statement. "The well-being of our fans, artists, staff, vendors, partners, and the surrounding NYC community is always our #1 priority."
They add that it is not feasible to postpone it to later this year: "Over the past few weeks, we have gone to great lengths to find a postponement date that works for all parties involved. Due to a myriad of planning and logistical issues, we have come to the conclusion that there are no sufficient options available to us. We are pushing ahead, and are already jumping into plans for [June] 2021."
If you already bought a ticket, they say you CAN get a refund. They write, "All customers who purchased a festival ticket and/or transportation ticket through the Gov Ball ticketing page can either request a refund or transfer their ticket to next year’s festival. More information available HERE." They note that all refund requests must be in by Friday, April 10th, 2020, and that all refunds will be processed "in as little as 30 days from when the request period ends."
This year's headliners included Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend, Stevie Nicks, Solange, Miley Cyrus and Missy Elliott, who would have been performing her first major NYC headline show in over a decade. Other major artists signed up for the fest included electronic performer Flume, psychedelic-tinged instrumental wizards Khruangbin, pop superhero Carly Rae Jepsen, beloved local rapped Princess Nokia, R&B star H.E.R., The Internet's supremely talented guitarist/producer/singer Steve Lacy, and English singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding. Also: hip-hop artists Danny Brown, Swae Lee and YBN Cordae, great indie bands including Snail Mail, Frankie Cosmos and Jay Som, and great rock (or rock-adjacent) bands Fontaines D.C., Black Midi and Pup.
With New York City nightlife indefinitely canceled, various venues, musicians, and other workers it supported are coming together to try to figure out new ways to reach audiences and generate revenue. You can read more about those efforts here.
