Governors Ball Music Festival: Best Food and Drinks at the NYC Concert Event

One of New York City’s biggest music festivals, the Governors Ball (aka Gov Ball), is back soon, with three days filled with concerts, dancing, and general merriment. The 15th edition takes place in Queens at Flushing Meadows Corona Park from Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8, with headliners like pop star Olivia Rodrigo, rapper Tyler the Creator, and Irish singer-songwriter Hozier.

What’s nice about the Governors Ball’s food lineup is that there are a bunch of familiar New York restaurants and vendors, some sourced straight from the neighboring Queens Night Market (which will be taking place on Saturday, June 7, so you can check it out at the same time). To help make dining at Governors Ball easier, Eater put together this handy guide on what and where to eat during the music festival.

General Governors Ball Festival Tips

• We all know this, right? No outside food or drinks are allowed inside the grounds.
• It’s an outdoor event — wear comfortable shoes!
• It looks like temperatures will be in the low 80s on Friday and 70s the other two days during the daytime, with drops to the 60s in the evenings. So wear sunscreen — only small containers with creams, lotions, and sticks creams are allowed; drink lots of water (you can bring in plastic and metal bottles because there are water stations); and bring a layer like a cardigan or a light jacket for when it gets chillier.
• Currently, there are chances of rain this weekend — 47 percent on Saturday and 40 percent on Sunday — but umbrellas aren’t allowed.
• Little bags are fine, but bigger bags need to be clear; double-check your measurements.
• No cash is accepted.

What to eat during Governors Ball

The festival grounds, near the beautiful Unisphere, feature five food courts for general admission ticket holders, which mostly centered in the northeast sections of the grounds.

For lunch:

Twisted Potato: Okay, so the Queens Night Market vendor’s namesake dish is a food festival gimmick, but that’s because it’s fun and good. Seasonings include ketchup, Buffalo, salt-and-vinegar, and Parmesan garlic. Located at food court no. 2 in the northeast area

Matylda’s Polish Food: The Queens Night Market vendor is thankfully slinging pierogi. Mix and match vegetarian fillings like potato-cheddar, potato-onions, potato-jalapeños, sauerkraut-mushrooms, and spinach-farmers cheese. For people seeking meat, the stand also has Polish kielbasa. For a touch of sharpness, add a half-sour pickle. Located at food court no. 2 in the northeast area

Walter’s Hot Dogs: Some of New York’s best hot dogs come from this Westchester shop, which will roll down its food truck to Queens for the festival. The food truck is offering its hot dogs, available in singles, doubles, veggie, and the Big Walt (a “thicker, longer” frank). Bypass the straight-up chili — come on, you’re at a music festival — for chili cheese fries. Located at food court no. 5 near the eastern area; and no. 7 in the VIP section next to the Kiehl’s stage

Nadia Chaudhury/Eater NY

For dinner:

Eemas Cuisine: Find really fun musubi at this Hawaiian and Filipino stand, which is also a Queens Night Market staple. There’s the OG Spam with a grilled slice of the canned pork, and a spicy imitation crab salad version. Larger plates include coconut shrimp or barbecue chicken, with sauces, seasoned rice, and macaroni salad, or the pancit, stir-fried noodles and vegetables. Think of it as a way of paying homage to Olivia Rodrigo’s Filipino heritage. Located at food court no. 2 in the northeast area

Charles Pan-Fried Chicken: Eater had called Charles Gabriel a “fried chicken king” before for good reason: Through his Harlem restaurant, he skillet-fries chicken into crunchy, juicy poultry. This menu centers on wings, available pan-fried or jerk, accompanied by mac and cheese, yams, or collard greens. Located at food court no. 4 near the western area

Gotham Burger Social Club: Yes, smash burgers are everywhere (even at this festival), and this Lower East Side/Greenpoint burger joint serves up a really great rendition. There’s the namesake Gotham Smash, a classic smash burger with grilled onions, American cheese, pickles, jalapeño, club sauce, ketchup, and mustard. For vegetarians, there’s the Veg’N-Out. Located at food court no. 3 in the northeast area

For desserts:

Fan Fan Doughnuts: The Bed-Stuy doughnut shop creates perfect doughnuts that are available at the festival. There are classics like Mexican cinnamon sugar and the Danny Boy (salted brown butter caramel). Special flavors include churros-and-chocolate, Pretzel Party (salted caramel glaze with crushed pretzels), and mango pomegranate. Located at food court no. 1 in the northeast area

La Newyorkina: Fan Fan founder Fany Gerson is also behind this New York City paleta stand. There are fruit paletas and creamy dairy-based ones. Then there’s the chamoyada, a Mexican fruit slushie with chamoy, Taijin, and a spicy tamarind stick. Location TBA

Melissa Hom

What to drink during Governors Ball

Lemonades: Plenty of the festival’s food vendors are touting lemonades, from Cafe Habana to Destination Dumplings.

Coffee: The Doughnuttery is offering flavored cold brews.

Juices: John’s Juice is churning out pineapple, watermelon, and coconut drinks served in their shells. Plus, there are refills.

Boba: Tea and Milk will have drinks like strawberry matcha lattes, milk teas, and Arnold Palmers with boba add-ons.

Mixed alcoholic drinks: For boozy purposes, check out mezcal cocktails at 400 Conejos, margaritas and palomas at Espolòn, and others.

Beer: Find brews by Kona Big Wave and Stella Artois.

Where to Eat Near Governors Ball

If you wanna venture outside of the festival grounds before/after your shows, here are Eater’s best guides to Queens.

Where to Eat and Drink Elsewhere in New York City

For wider NYC dining and drinking needs.

Johnny Nunez/WireImage