WHY WE’RE FREAKING OUT ABOUT THE PANORAMA FESTIVAL

Oh man. If you haven’t seen the flyers flying around yet, you’ve probably heard some serious buzz about NYC’s upcoming Panorama Festival. This brand new multiday event is presented by Goldenvoice (the same guys behind Coachella) in partnership with The Verge, and promises to blend art, music, and technology into a totally fresh experience this summer. Here are the main reasons we’re freaking out about it.

The Location

We know this one is a no-brainer, but Randalls Island… in the summer?! That’s 432.69 acres of heaven, right on the damn water. Free-spirited festivalgoers will also be glad to hear that the festival is rain or shine and has no set dress code (other than the recommended sunscreen and possible poncho). And although the initial plans for Flushing Meadows Corona Park fell through, Panorama is keeping Queens close at heart and offering several cool perks to send ticketholders their way – including free admission to the Queens Museum and even a special exhibit on their hometown heroes, The Ramones.

The Rivalry

Front-and-center on Panorama’s trippy website are three small numbers that have had more than a few fans flipping – 22, 23, 24. And yes, we’re talking July 22, 23, and 24. This puts Panorama Festival just seven weeks after NYC’s much-loved Governors Ball, which will take place on June 3-5th this year – on the same island. Either you’ve got one wild summer coming up, or you’re going to have to make some tough decisions. But all lineup feuds aside, the two festivals are going to be a big boost for the community this year, which makes it a great rivalry to have.

The Snacks

Tastebuds rejoice, because the folks behind this fest are doing something brilliant: leaving the food to the experts. Eater will be handpicking the vendors for Panorama Festival, and word on the street is that they will be highlighting specific treats from each of the five boroughs. So get ready to do some light snacking and enjoy the friendly competition (OR eat everything in sight and then fight on Instagram about which borough does it best, like a real New Yorker).

The Bands

No surprise here. The Panorama poster, which just dropped this week, is packed with names we’re all fired up about, including Run the Jewels, Sufjan Stevens, FKA Twigs, Foals, Sia, Alabama Shakes, Silversun Pickups, A$AP Rocky, the National, Kurt Vile, Grace Potter, and ScHoolboy Q, just to name a few! But they really got us good with the headliners – Arcade Fire, Kendrick Lamar, and LCD Soundsystem, anyone? Which brings us to our final freak-out…

The Firsts

For one thing, this marks the very first NYC LCD Soundsystem show since they bid us farewell at Madison Square Garden 5 years ago, back when the band was disbanding for keeps. Of all the things James Murphy is good at, we’re glad breaking up is not one of them. And of course, happy 1st birthday to Panorama Festival! It’s the festival’s inaugural year, so there are even more firsts to come. We can’t wait to see how it all goes down.

Article: Olivia Isenhart