Billie Eilish, Post Malone, J Balvin, A$AP Rocky To Headline Governors Ball, Now Booked For Citi Field

Kevin Mazur / Getty Images / Live Nation – Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish will headline Governors Ball 2021, scheduled to take place at the Citi Field complex in Queens, N.Y., Sept. 24-26.

New York City festival Governors Ball announced its lineup and a venue change on Tuesday.

Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, J Balvin and Post Malone will headline the event, which will take place at the Citi Field complex in Queens, rather than Governors Ball’s longtime home on the city’s Randall’s Island.

Rather than its typical early June dates, Governors Ball will take place Sept. 24-26 this year.

The event’s 10th anniversary lineup also features DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Ellie Goulding, Leon Bridges, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Portugal. The Man., Burna Boy, Future Islands, Phoebe Bridgers, Jamie XX, Carly Rae Jepsen, Big Thief and Bleachers, among others.

Courtesy Governors Ball – Having a Ball
Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, J Balvin and Post Malone will headline New York’s Governors Ball, set for a new venue (the Citi Field compex in Queens, N.Y.) and a new time of year (Sept. 24-26) in 2021.

“Building a recovery for all of us means reconnecting with the iconic events that make New York City the greatest travel destination in the world,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “As more New Yorkers become vaccinated by the day, we’re proud to support arts and culture and welcome back Governors Ball and their fantastic lineup, including New York City’s own Princess Nokia, A$AP Rocky, and King Princess, among others.”

Last week, de Blasio announced July 1 as New York City’s target for a full reopening after more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions. On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a more ambitious reopening timeline where 24-hour subway service reopens on May 17 and almost all pandemic-related restrictions are lifted on May 19.

At press time, 6.6 million doses of the coronavirus vaccination had been administered at New York City facilities, according to city data.

“Working in close consultation with the City of New York, the festival will follow all state and federal guidelines mandated at the time of the event,” a press release said.

While the Citi Field complex is a new venue for Governors Ball, it’s old hat for Founders Entertainment, which produces the event. In 2016 and 2017, the company staged The Meadows Music and Arts Festival there in early fall, attracting major performers such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gorillaz and Chance the Rapper.

Governors Ball’s press release described the complex as “a site with incredible accessibility via multiple transportation options” and noted that “the festival venue will be modeled upon the one-of-a-kind 360° layout featured at the fan favorite and also Founders Entertainment produced The Meadows Music and Arts Festival.” To improve the guest experience, Governors Ball will carpet the grounds with high-grade astroturf, along with other new amenities.

The Governors Ball 2021 lineup is a marked departure from the announced bill for its 2020 event, which was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic – no Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks, Vampire Weekend, Missy Elliott or Solange here – but several artists overlap, including RÜFÜS DU SOL, Ellie Goulding, Portugal. The Man, Carly Rae Jepsen and Bleachers. 

Meanwhile, several of the artists on the 2021 bill appear on other festivals announced for this fall. Megan Thee Stallion, Phoebe Bridgers, Young Thug and Leon Bridges will feature prominently at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo, slated for Sept. 2-5, and Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky and Young Thug will play Las Vegas’ Life Is Beautiful on Sept. 17-19. Several weeks later, J Balvin, Young Thug and RÜFÜS DU SOL will be among the top-billed talent at San Francisco’s Outside Lands, scheduled for Oct. 29-31.

General admission and VIP passes go onsale on May 6 at 12 p.m. ET, with a Citi cardholder presale beginning May 4 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

See the full Governors Ball’s lineup above, and for more about this fall’s crowded festival calendar, revisit Pollstar‘s recent story about the topic.