EDM star John Summit drew thousands to Randall’s Island this past weekend for his first-ever Experts Only Festival. The music festival occurred on Saturday and Sunday, welcoming over 50,000 fans across the two sold-out days.
The festival, curated entirely by Summit and named after the label he owns, marked his first-ever two-day event and was made possible with the help of Relentless Beats and Medium Rare.
Summit’s label leads with the idea of “music without limits,” which reflects John’s enthusiasm for experimenting with various sounds and styles, according to the Experts Only Fest website.
Co-founders of Medium Rare, Adam Richman and Joe Silberzweig, got their start nine years ago when handling the Electric Zoo EDM festival.
“With the absence of Electric Zoo, and now Brooklyn Mirage, we saw a major hole in the market for this kind of show,” said Medium Rare Co-founder, Adam Richman. “It’s no easy feat to produce a 50,000-person festival on an island but we’re fortunate to have done it before and have gained the trust of city officials. It’s a full circle moment for us and it’s truly incredible to see the Experts Only Fest come to life.”
The festival was said to be a major cultural moment for Gen Z dance music fans and included performances from more than 15 artists.
Thanks to Richman and Silberzweig’s close relationship with the city, music fans now have a festival back on Randall’s Island.
“This is actually our third major event in the city this month. Starting with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s Roommates Block Party in Central Park to One Bite Pizza fest with our partner Dave Portnoy last weekend, the culmination is with a huge major launch with Experts Only Fest,” said Joe Silberzweig, Medium Rare co-founder. “There is no better city in the world to put on these massive fan experiences and we’re just really grateful to get the opportunity to do it.”
The festival was also made possible by several brand sponsors, including Don Julio, Cash App, White Claw, Ghost, Elite Wear, Surfside, Supernormal, and Beatbox—now known as the unofficial music festival drink.
Limited-edition festival merchandise was also sold at the event, and sales will continue online through Friday at midnight. Some items featured are hoodies, hats, tank tops, and the festival classic, pashminas.
amNewYork’s very own Dylan Christie headed back over to Randall’s Island last weekend to check out the event.
“To see Randall’s Island filled again with concertgoers was truly special,” Christie said. “This space in New York is so unique…where you can hold that many people with the music volume being that loud, it’s truly amazing.”
The end of the festival marks two back-to-back action-filled weekends in Randall’s Island, with more exciting events still to occur this fall.
Be sure to check out upcoming events at randallsisland.org/events!
