From September 15-17, The Meadows Music & Arts Festival came back to New York City to put on its annual show. The Meadows was held at Citi Field in Queens and presented an all-star lineup, food trucks representing New York City’s newest food trends, and an exciting urban environment for people to listen to and enjoy music. This is the second year that the event has been sponsored by Founders Entertainment, which also produces the Governor’s Ball Music Festival. It is estimated that around 30,000-50,000 people attended The Meadows each day this year.
After its inaugural year in 2016, The Meadows returned to Queens on Friday, September 15. The festival opened this year with artists like Jay-Z, Migos, Milky Chance, 21 Savage, and Tegan and Sara. Other headliners for the weekend included Future, LL Cool J, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster the People, and Weezer. The lineup was diverse in music genres, attracting a wide array of patrons.
“The music was amazing. All of the artists unified the crowds because of their common interest for the music,” said senior Eve Harari. “It was one of the most amazing days; it didn’t matter how old you were, everyone enjoyed the music together.”
This year, a few artists put on surprise performances, like A Tribe Called Quest. During his set, Future brought out Yo Gotti to perform “Rake it Up.” He also brought out Young Thug and Nicki Minaj to accompany him onstage.
Another main draw of this festival is the food that it offers. At The Meadows, you can find food trucks and stands offering the trendiest, most popular food in New York City. The Meadows website shows off its range of food options, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free choices. This year’s food lineup included Roberta’s pizza, John’s Juice, Dough, Luke’s Lobster, DŌ, Ramen Burger, Wowfulls, and New Territories.
“There was a lot of vegan food and food trucks,” said senior Sami Levine. “The food was really diverse and the lines were really long because everyone wanted some.”
In addition to the music and food, the festival offers activities and art to amplify the experience. The festival had lounges and different stations for people to enjoy themselves away from the densely packed crowds in front of the stages. Art at the festival was displayed in large-scale, public places. A number of artists including, Greg Mike, Glossblack, Steffi Lynn, Wane One, Ces, Tom Bob, Key Detail, and Julia Yu-Baba, presented their art this year. Many of these artists favor graffiti style painting, murals, and bold, colorful designs. Each individual artist had his or her own special connection to New York, which makes the art appropriate for this New York festival. The art further set the mood for The Meadows and contributed to the festival’s unique atmosphere.
One of the biggest draws for The Meadows, especially for Schreiber students, was its convenience. Located at Citi Field, it is easily accessible from the Port Washington train station. The train ride is just 30 minutes and the station is only a five-minute walk from the festival entrance. It’s also an easy commute from Manhattan, with trains leaving from Penn Station around every 30 minutes. This accessibility is unparalleled by other local festivals. Although the Governors Ball Music Festival is also in the city, it’s more difficult to get to from Port Washington, which dissuades some students from attending.
“Meadows was so much easier to get to than Gov Ball. I didn’t need a ferry ticket, just a train ticket,” said senior Lizzy Kaplan.
Governors Ball will be held again this spring at Governor’s Island, and those who have attended both The Meadows and Governors Ball will be able to see how it compares to The Meadows Music & Arts Festival’s success this year.