Rocky saluting and grinning in a tiger-print shirt under a giant hanging sculpture of clear interlocking squares, with the Experts Only Festival arch and the glowing main stage behind him at night — Experts only. I’m working on it.

Randall’s Island, NYCSeptember 2025

Festival review

My first Experts Only Festival: seeing John Summit on Randall’s Island

On September 20, 2025, I went to the very first Experts Only Festival, a brand-new two-day festival on Randall’s Island curated by John Summit, with my sister Tiffany, Vinny, and two of Vinny’s friends. I brought glasses that turn lasers into hearts and a bag of tiny decorative sprouts to give away. Here’s how it went, what I’d do differently, and whether I’d go again.

Would I go again? Try the heart glasses

Saturday lineup: JOHN SUMMIT, GREEN VELVET B2B LAYTON GIORDANI, PETE TONG, AYYBO, TEED, KAMINO, RODDY LIMA, ENAMOUR B2B WESKA, EVE LAUREN.

The crew

Saturday at the first-ever Experts Only

On September 20, 2025, I headed to Randall’s Island for the first-ever Experts Only Festival NYC, a two-day electronic music festival curated by John Summit.

The inaugural festival took over Randall’s Island on September 20 and 21, with John Summit headlining both nights alongside artists including Green Velvet, Layton Giordani, Pete Tong, Kaskade, Cassian, LP Giobbi and more. Organizers expected roughly 50,000 people across the weekend, effectively bringing a major dance music festival back to Randall’s Island. (Randall’s Island hosted Electric Zoo’s 2023 edition, and that festival was never scheduled for 2024.)

I went on Saturday with my sister Tiffany, her boyfriend at the time, Vinny, and two of Vinny’s friends, Nick and Zach.

By the end of the night, Nick and Zach didn’t really feel like “Vinny’s friends” anymore.

They were just my friends too.

And honestly, that was probably one of my favorite things about the entire experience.

Experts Only · SaturdayOur lineupRocky b2b TiffanyVinnyNick · ZachSpecial guests
heart glasses · a bag of sprouts

Tiffany in a trucker hat and red scarf, Vinny and Rocky posing together in the crowd at night, lit by a camera flash — Tiffany, Vinny and me.

Getting ready

I did not show up empty-handed

I’ve been getting increasingly into EDM, so this was exactly the kind of event I had been wanting to experience.

And naturally, I did not just show up empty-handed.

I brought these special diffraction glasses that completely transform the lights around you.

One pair was clear plastic and made bright lights turn into little hearts.

Which, obviously, I loved.

I love love.

So standing in the middle of an electronic music festival surrounded by lasers that suddenly looked like hundreds of glowing hearts was basically designed specifically for me.

I also had another pair that looked almost like old-school red-and-blue 3D glasses, except those created different starburst and heart effects around lights.

I brought extras, too, because part of the fun was being able to pass them around.

Seeing somebody put them on for the first time and suddenly realize what all the lasers looked like through them was such a small thing, but it gave us something fun to share.

Try the glasses yourself

Rocky taking a mirror selfie at home in a tiger-print T-shirt and black shorts, a clear crossbody bag across his chest — Clear bag, festival rules.

Rocky and Tiffany grinning in white cardboard glasses in the dark crowd, green stage lights behind them — Tiffany and me, glasses on.

Zach in paper glasses with colored rims beside Rocky, who is sticking his tongue out and throwing a shaka, lit by a camera flash in the crowd — Zach and me.

Try it yourself

Put the heart glasses on

This is the main stage from inside the crowd, with phones lit up all across the field. Pick a pair and see what the lights turn into.

A simulation of what the glasses do, drawn over the real view. The clear pair made hearts; the red-and-blue pair made starbursts and hearts.

The main stage at night seen from inside the crowd, phone screens glowing all across the field under drifting smoke — Just lights. For now.

I also brought sprouts

Good karma, one tiny sprout at a time

Earlier that summer at Pride, somebody had “sprouted” me.

Basically, they clipped one of those tiny little decorative plant sprouts onto me.

It was such a stupidly small gesture, but it made me so happy.

So I bought sprouts of my own before Experts Only because I wanted to pass that same feeling along.

Good karma.

A clear bag stuffed with dozens of tiny artificial flower and sprout hair clips in pink, yellow, white and green, fresh out of a cardboard box — The sprout supply.

Expectation

Wandering around the festival, meeting random people, giving out sprouts and making strangers smile.

Reality

We mostly stayed together as our own little group, so most of my sprouts stayed in the group.

The back of Tiffany's head, her long dark hair and cap covered in tiny flower and sprout clips — Quite a few of them ended up in Tiffany’s hair.

That is not exactly what happened.

Because I went with Tiffany, Vinny, Nick and Zach, we mostly stayed together as our own little group.

I realized that when I’m somewhere alone, I naturally end up interacting with considerably more strangers. When I already have four people with me, there’s much less reason to wander off and socialize.

So most of my sprouts ended up staying within the group.

I still liked having them, but if I go again, whether I bring a bunch of sprouts would probably depend on how I’m attending.

If I went solo?

Absolutely.

That would basically become a social experiment.

Getting there

We took the festival ferry both ways

There was no parking on Randall’s Island for the festival, so how you got there was part of the plan.

On the drive in to catch the ferry, we blasted John Summit’s top hits in the car.

We took the festival ferry from the East 35th Street landing in Manhattan, there and back.

In 2025 the ferry passes had to be bought in advance (they started at $49.99 for one day and $69.98 for both), and boats were scheduled every 30 minutes.

Rocky and his sister Tiffany smiling in the back seat of a car under a sunroof, Tiffany in a trucker hat — Tiffany and me, John Summit blasting.

A long line of festival-goers along a wooden ferry pier under a white canopy, with the river in front and city towers under a blue sky — The ferry line at East 35th Street.

Festival-goers streaming across the grass toward the tents in the late-afternoon sun — Walking in

Rocky and Tiffany taking a selfie on the festival lawn in early evening sun, crowds and white tents behind them — Made it.

Tiffany in a red headscarf and Vinny walking across the lawn toward a black arch reading Experts Only Festival, with stage lights glowing at dusk — Tiffany and Vinny, walking toward the arch.

The music

The music was incredible

Obviously, the main reason we were there was John Summit.

And he was amazing.

Experts Only was named after Summit’s record label, and the NYC festival was built around artists he curated across two stages. The Saturday lineup included John Summit, AYYBO, Green Velvet B2B Layton Giordani, Pete Tong, TEED, Kamino and others.

But what I loved most wasn’t necessarily keeping track of every artist or every set.

It was just dancing.

There’s something about electronic music live that doesn’t translate when you’re listening through headphones.

Me, the main stage, and a lot of blue.

The bass.

The lights.

Everyone moving at the same time.

The buildup where thousands of people somehow know exactly what’s about to happen.

And then the drop.

I’ve been having so much fun getting more into EDM, and being surrounded by people who were there for exactly the same reason made the entire thing better.

The main stage, from last light to full dark

The main stage in the last of the daylight, white visuals swirling on the screen above a packed crowd — Last light

The main stage at dusk with three glowing screens, purple haze and a blue sky — Blue hour

White light beams fanning up from the main stage through smoke after dark — After dark

Golden stage lights flaring through thick smoke over a crowd holding up phones — Smoke and light

The main stage, full

The lounge

Weeks of hype, about five minutes in the Pwemium Wounge

One of my favorite stupid details about Experts Only was the premium lounge.

Or, as they marketed it:

the Pwemium Wounge.

The joke was based on the way John Summit says “premium lounge,” and they really committed to it. On the Saturday, John Summit’s own post said he “had to bring the pwemium wounge to Experts Only Festival.”

There had been so much promotion around this lounge that it became almost a running joke going into the festival.

And naturally…

We barely spent any time there.

LOL.

Apparently we were far too busy actually being at the festival.

Still, I appreciate that somebody took a normal premium-area concept and decided it needed John Summit lore attached to it.

A black stretch tent on the grass with a wooden bar and a hanging chandelier ring, people crowding in — The Pwemium Wounge

Expectation

Weeks of promotion, and a whole lounge with John Summit lore attached.

Reality

We barely spent any time there. Far too busy actually being at the festival.

Food and drinks

Festival drinks are still festival drinks

The drinks were fine.

The food was good.

Everything was also predictably expensive.

The beverage setup also felt more limited than going to a proper bar, which is something I tend to notice because I generally prefer actual mixed cocktails.

But realistically, nobody goes to a festival expecting a quiet craft cocktail bar.

You accept the festival drink situation for what it is, pay the ridiculous amount of money, and go back to dancing.

The best part

Five people, one group

Something I hadn’t really anticipated was how naturally our little group came together.

I obviously knew Tiffany.

I knew Vinny.

Nick and Zach were initially Vinny’s friends.

Not that it mattered. We were a group from the moment we left.

And there is something about spending an entire festival together that accelerates friendship.

You’re wandering around together.
Waiting in lines together.
Getting food together.
Passing around ridiculous laser glasses.
Dancing for hours.
Trying to keep track of each other in crowds.

It felt like a friend group.

Those are sometimes my favorite kinds of friendships.

The ones you didn’t really plan.

An instant photo of the group at night: Rocky, Zach, Nick, Vinny and Tiffany squeezed together and smiling, with more festival-goers behind — All five of us.

Rocky, Vinny, Nick and Zach with their arms around each other in the crowd at night, all smiling, a couple of sprout clips poking up from their heads — Me, Vinny, Nick and Zach.

Tiffany smiling over her shoulder by a chain-link fence, sprout clips tucked all through her hair and on her hat — Tiffany, fully sprouted.

Nick with a sprout clip on his head throwing a shaka next to Zach in the crowd at night — Nick and Zach.

Zach dancing with both arms out wide and a big smile in the crowd at night — Zach, thriving.

Turning 30

A little birthday present to myself

Experts Only also happened right around my 30th birthday.

My ticket was a birthday treat to myself.

I splurged a bit to go.

I had several different things planned around turning 30, and going to see John Summit was one of the presents I was giving myself.

Not everything needs candles and a cake to count as celebrating.

Sometimes the birthday activity is standing on Randall’s Island wearing glasses that turn lasers into hearts while John Summit DJs in front of you.

I think that counts.

The verdict

Would I go to Experts Only again? Yes. Very easily.

The inaugural 2025 festival ultimately drew more than 50,000 fans, and Experts Only returned to Randall’s Island the following year after the success of that first weekend.

There are little things I might do differently next time.

Maybe I’d interact with more people.
Maybe I’d actually distribute all my sprouts.
Maybe I’d spend more than five minutes in the Pwemium Wounge after hearing about it for weeks.

But those are minor things.

Mostly, I just want another night where I can dance, listen to EDM and be surrounded by people who are equally excited about the music.

And I definitely want to hear John Summit DJ again.

Preferably sooner rather than later.

The musicIncredible

John SummitAmazing

The foodGood

The drinksFine

The pricesPredictably expensive

The Pwemium WoungeBarely spent any time there. LOL.

The people I went withProbably one of my favorite things

Go again?Yes. Very easily.

If you’re thinking about going

Tickets

In 2025, general admission started at $119.99 all-in, VIP at $299.99 and Platinum at $799.99. One dollar from every ticket was set to benefit Femme House, a nonprofit working on equity in the music industry.

When

In 2025 it ran September 20–21, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. both days, on the Harlem River Event Lawn behind Icahn Stadium.

Age

18+. You had to be 21+ to buy VIP tickets or VIP tables.

The ferry

What we did, both ways. It left from the East 35th Street landing, and in 2025 passes had to be bought ahead of time.

Other ways in

In 2025 there was no parking on the island. The options were the 4, 5 or 6 train to 125th Street plus the X80 bus from 125th and Lexington, or a rideshare drop-off. On the way out there were signs to walk to Manhattan, and the footbridge at East 103rd Street is the walking route.

Bags

In 2025, bags had to be clear and up to 15 x 15 x 5 inches, or a small non-clear clutch. Hydration packs were fine as long as they were empty when you walked in.

I brought extras

Of the glasses, because part of the fun was being able to pass them around.

Going solo?

If I went solo, I’d absolutely bring the sprouts. That would basically become a social experiment.

A crowd walking out of the festival at night past an orange LED road sign reading Walk to Mnhttn with arrows pointing left — Getting home: follow the signs.

Festival-goers walking out at night past an LED road sign reading Ferry Straight — Ferry: straight ahead.

Over to you

So, have you ever been to Experts Only?

Or seen John Summit live? Would you ever wear heart glasses at a festival? If you’ve been, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Tell me in the comments