SHOWING OUT: FULL MOON FEST 2017

It’s an early Saturday afternoon and I’m thinking to myself “Wow am I really about to spend my whole day at a music festival?” The answer is yes. My friend James and I were already getting sunburned on the breezy ferry out to Governor’s Island for Full Moon Fest. Neither of us really knew what to expect, since we aren’t really festivalgoers, and despite being native New Yorkers, we’ve never been to Governor’s Island before. The boat finally docks at our destination, and it feels like we’re somewhere far outside the city. This feeling of being on a summer getaway is amplified when we arrive at the expansive field—where it’s all taking place. The open area feels like it’s been transformed into a low-key tropical island for the day. There’re exotic plants, the grass is essentially perfect, and there’s even a little sandy beach.

We’re situated. It feels as if we’re having a large-scale picnic with strangers. People are spread out in the grass on blankets, swaying to the first performers of the day, and everyone looks pretty happy. It’s an incredibly pleasant environment, but we quickly realize “Wow we still have five more hours until Connan Mockasin and ten more hours until Vic Mensa.”

We’ve arrived way before the majority of the crowd, this is a blessing. Because this is the kind of thing we should be doing during the summer; sitting on grass with friends, listening to music, eating tacos, and drinking pretty cocktails. It far outweighs the lazy days of summer; laying in bed, scrolling through Instagram, waiting for the day to begin.

We spent the next few hours lounging in hammocks and meandering around the different installations. A giant disco-dome was built that kind of looked like my elementary school jungle gym. To the right of it was the sandy beach, which doubled as the stage for DJ’s like Clara 3000. It really played up the tropical vibe, and served as the prime spot for people to drink out of pineapples and watermelons provided by John’s Juice.

The majority of the crowed pulls up around By the time Abra is performing her alternative R&B, the field is filled with NYC creatives. It isn't the new-age-hippy crowd that you would expect from a stereotypical festival. It has that authentic New York feel to it, and there are definitely some pretty good looking people in stylish outfits.

When finally rolls around, the festival is in full swing. The energy is heightened for the headlining performers, Kelela and Vic Mensa, and people seem (definitely) to have loosened up after a few hours of Don Julio cocktails.

My energy, on the other hand, had almost entirely run out from experiencing the unexpected. Usually when I think of a festival, low-key isn’t the word what comes to mind, but somehow this festival was able to pull it off. If you were to combine an intimate beach gathering with a downtown New York party, and amp it into a festival, then you may start to understand the delight that is Full Moon Fest.