Event Reviews

John Summit’s Experts Only Festival Returns to Randall’s Island for Year Two

Published

1 hour ago

September 21, 2026

Danielle Berkowitz

New York City! He did it again.

Last year we said we’d be waiting for round two. John Summit made sure it was worth the wait.

Courtesy: Experts Only Festival

This past weekend, Summit returned to Randall’s Island for the second annual Experts Only Festival, curated by Summit himself and produced by Medium Rare, Relentless Beats, and EMW. The two-day event pulled in 60K+ fans, with Saturday selling out and thousands more braving the rain on Sunday to close out the weekend across three stages, all set against the Manhattan skyline.

Courtesy: Experts Only Festival

The lineup did not disappoint. From John Summit to GRiZ, Innellea B2B Korolova, Devault, Max Styler, Adam Ten, and this generation’s King of Dubstep, and experiential producer Subtronics, along with dozens of additional artists who took the stage across the weekend.

Courtesy: Experts Only Festival

Saturday brought an Adam Ten B2B Max Styler, alongside an extended set from Summit himself. Sunday kept the momentum going with Summit’s sunset set, GRiZ, Will Clarke, and the ultimate closeout: Summit B2B Subtronics as SUBJOHNICS, sending the festival off in style.

Courtesy: Experts Only Festival

New this year was the PWEMIUM WOUNGE, an oasis tucked under the trees that delivered full techno club-space vibes as the festival’s third stage, joining the Main Stage and Mirror Field.

Beyond the music, the festival came alive with the EO NYC Market, a fully subway-themed build-out with dedicated sections for fashion, beauty, and jewelry. Fans could even blend their own scent at the Nose Best can and perfume bar, one of many touches that made the market feel more like a downtown pop-up than a festival village.

The brand activations went bigger than ever this year. White Claw returned for its second year with an expanded onsite footprint, featuring the Shore Club and a branded VIP lounge for festival-goers. GHOST® Energy powered the festival grounds with signature bars, a basketball shot activation, and exclusive collector-edition “OG” can reskins available only at Randall’s Island. BeatBox brought back their beat truck, while Cash App, NÜTRL, Tequila Don Julio, Grüns, EYECANDY, and Eargasm rounded out the official partner slate with activations throughout the grounds.

Courtesy: Experts Only Festival

And yes, the food lineup once again brought NYC’s best to the fields, keeping fans fueled from gates to closing sets.

But the weekend didn’t actually start at Randall’s Island. Summit once again pulled off an epic stunt that frankly I was curious to know how he would beat everyone going on a run with him for Experts Only Year One…spoiler alert: he did one up! On the eve of the festival, Summit and his Experts Only label pulled off a full-scale takeover of the New York Stock Exchange, a text-message-fueled stunt that sent fans scrambling across Lower Manhattan.

For a sophomore year, Experts Only didn’t just hold its ground. It leveled up. Round three, we’re already in.