New York City hasn’t seen a proper dance festival in years. John Summit’s Experts Only Festival looked to change that with its debut edition on Randall’s Island.
The last time John Summit was on Randall’s Island was two years ago, when he and Dom Dolla debuted their duo project, Everything Always, at Electric Zoo. It was also the last time ravers set foot on the New York City island.
However, last weekend, that hiatus ended with the premiere of John Summit’s Experts Only Festival, a two-day event featuring a lineup of established talent and special B2B performances.
From the grass to the bass, New York felt alive again.
The event space felt familiar to many attendees, as it was located on the same part of the island where past editions of Electric Zoo had once stood. The smell of grass, the speakers blasting music, and the view of the city skyline were a pleasant reunion of senses.
The weekend’s programming ran from 3pm to 10pm, with a finale set by John Summit to cap each night. The estimated 50,000 fans who flocked to the island had the choice of two stages — Main and Mirror Field — both of which were situated at opposite ends of the festival, preventing sound bleed. Between them was an abundance of food vendors and drink stands, a few activations, and, keeping up with his jester-like personality, a bar area called “Pwemium Wounge,” which actually had the look and feel of a high-end bar. Throughout both days, the lines for food and drinks rarely looked long.
The event kicked off with perfect weather: 75 degrees with a gentle breeze and near-clear skies. Ravers in their eclectic outfits were in high spirits — happy that they were dancing on the island once again.
John Summit played the role of a gracious party host throughout the weekend.
He made several onstage appearances with the weekend’s earlier acts, dapping them up, giving them gratitude for performing, and exchanging smiles. In some ways, it felt as if everyone were gathering at a giant backyard party. Everyone onstage seemed to be having a great time.
The bill included standout sets from such artists as tech-house-leaning producer Tini Gessler, whose performance had an unstoppable drive, and a live performance by duo Kasablanca, offering the house-favorite crowd a rumbustious electro set. The famed BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong proved, as always, why he remains one of the leading voices in the dance community, curating an elegant set that flowed with ease, and at the main stage the crowd was packed to view the event’s exclusive back-to-back offerings of Kaskade with Cassian and Green Velvet with Layton Giordani, both of which generated a lot of FOMO in the online world.
The atmosphere throughout both days had a mix of excitement and peace.
At the stages, ravers were in their natural environment — shuffling, jumping, waving their hands, or moving their fists to the beat. The security guards by the rails, particularly at the main stage, also participated in the fun times that were unfolding — smiling, hyping the crowd by mirroring their movements, or handing out water. Outside of the dance areas, people were catching their breath, taking a moment to relax on the grass, sip on their drinks, or eat their bites, all of which got them recharged before they caught their next set.
Even with some rough edges, the festival’s foundation felt strong.
Roaming around the dancefloors, there didn’t seem to be any presenting signs of crowd issues. People left space for one another, and the chill vibe from outside the stages wafted its way through, especially at the Mirror Stage. The fans appeared to be in tune with each other. However, over the weekend, the discourse on the r/avesNYC subreddit presented a different perspective. Some ravers alleged online that there was a high number of crowd-pushers. One raver claimed to have an encounter with racism, and another claimed an unprovoked assault.
In a scene that’s centered on inclusion, John Summit and his team also embodied that identity at the festival.
A dollar from every ticket sale went to LP Giobbi’s nonprofit, FEMME HOUSE, whose mission focuses on creating a more equitable space in electronic music, which also had an activation onsite, and during LP Giobbi’s set on Sunday, she reminded the crowd during this unstable political moment who created the genre they were dancing to: “Black queer people created dance music.”
John Summit, for his part, channeled a cheeky but sincere sense of belonging during both of his headline performances — and also during his two surprised daytime sets — each one centered on connection through partying. The platform was packed with fans who were lucky enough to snag access, while the mainstage crowd stretched wide open. His setlists differed both nights, yet fan-favorite anthems such as “Where You Are,” “Crystalized,” “Shiver,” and other classics made the cut. In those moments, the connection between Summit and his fans was undeniable.
He jumped and smiled as always, and when he shouted, “New York, how the fuck are we feeling, baby?” the response was explosive. This was his festival, and everyone was invited to attend. He was, after all, the main reason the crowd was there — and he made it feel like they belonged.
The future of Experts Only Fest in New York looks promising.
The birth of this event began a year ago, when John Summit noticed that the city had been lacking a proper music festival for several seasons. He and his team began planning, and they embarked on a mission to serve the dance community. He has also stated that he had a personal goal of launching his own festival after founding his label, Experts Only, in 2022.
It’s important to state that putting on a festival of any scale is a tremendous feat; it’s as if you’re building a city from the ground up. Every essential detail — from trash pickup to bathroom cleanup to having power — must be carefully considered. Naturally, some aspects didn’t get calculated, such as adequate lighting between the two stages, which made it difficult to walk at night, or the inclusion of more art (there were two setups). However, these observations for a debut event didn’t impair anyone’s experience.
John Summit and his team played it right by keeping the event simple and not overextending themselves with lavish amenities for a first-time festival. They’ve built a strong foundation that can lead the festival to become a marquee event in the music festival circuit.
Though it’s unclear if a second edition is underway, Summit, shortly after the festival ended, posted this message on social media: “Til next time, New York.”
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