Experts Only Brings Electronic Dance Music Back To New York
John Summit performing on stage at the Expert’s Only Festival
John Summit touched down in New York for his second inaugural Experts Only Festival, held September 19-20, 2026, at Randall’s Island. The festival marked an important moment for New York’s electronic dance music community, with Summit and the Experts Only team bringing two days of house, techno, and techno house.
Main stage at the festival
After the departure of Electric Zoo from the New York festival calendar, dance music fans had been waiting for a major EDM event to return to the city. Experts Only answered that call with a diverse lineup spread across multiple stages.
Fans near the main stage
The festival featured performances by Subtronics, GRiz, Adam ten b2b Max Skyler, Airrica, B/AN/K, Broken Hill, Dansyn, Devault, Dreya V, Gabss, Innellea B2B Korolova, Jackie Hollander, Levity, LYNY, Madi, Mishell, No Static, Omri, Partiboi69, Philou, Rohaan, rSun, Soraya, Stello, Taiki Nulight, Will Clarke, and Yetti.
Adam Ten & Max Styler
Adding another visual element to the weekend, dancers from the Kitty Koalition brought energy to the stages as the lights and the crowds moved along with the music. Their performances helped create the immersive atmosphere that is central to a large-scale electronic music festival.
Dancer from Kitty Koalition
Dancer from Kitty Koalition
The excitement reached another level when John Summit took over the DJ booth. Fans responded enthusiastically as he played some of his best known tracks, including “Where You Are,” “Lights Go Out,” and Don’t Believe It.”
DJ John Summit
Beyond the music, the festival’s layout was designed with the audience experience in mind. Dedicated areas in food, cocktails, earplugs, merchandise, and festival gear helped keep the grounds organized. At the conclusion of the event, attendees were directed through a single-flow traffic system, helping the crowd move away from the festival grounds in an orderly fashion.
Across the two-day weekend, 60,000 festival goers attended Experts Only, with Saturday reaching a sold-out crowd. For fans who had been waiting for a major EDM gathering to return to New York, the weekend provided two days centered around music, dancing, and community.
Fans dress up like former accountant turned DJ John Summit
The festival was produced by Medium Rare, Relentless Beats, and EMW groups, bringing together promoters and production teams behind a new chapter for electronic music events in New York.
John Summit
https://www.johnsummitmusic.com/
Experts Only
https://www.expertsonlyrecs.com/
EMW
Relentless Beats
Medium Rare
