New York is so back.
A week after a slew of to-see-and-be-seen Fashion Week parties, the main event, the Experts Only Festival, landed in New York City and plopped onto Randall’s Island where 30,000 rabid dance music fans braved the rain to get down.
The city’s one-and-only EDM festival is put on by John Summit, the 32-year-old CPA-turned-DJ who has completely overtaken the dance music scene. Summit’s label, Experts Only, which shares a name with his self-curated two-day fest, made sure he went all out too, stacking his 2026 lineup with big names Adam Ten, Max Styler and dubstep legend Subtronics.
This weekend extravaganza was Summit’s second run at bringing EO to the island (he’s also coming back to the Big Apple as part of his CTRL Escape Tour on Nov. 28 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center), and, after last year’s smashing success, expectations were sky high. Not just for the music, but for a smoother experience from delivering food and drinks to security, staging and everything in between. And John, with his natural business savvy, he made plenty sure he didn’t skimp on the marketing side either.
In the week leading up to the show, he sent fans on a scavenger hunt through Wall Street, where they were led to a fake newsstand selling a mock newspaper, “The Summit Street Journal.” And, on the eve of the fest, he threw a pre-party at the New York Stock Exchange, where a menagerie of finance bros dressed as themselves and some 200 lucky attendees fled work early for a rave my friend expertly described as “completely insane” that came with an open bar and sushi rolls.
For the actual fest, we landed on Randall’s Island in the early afternoon, alongside a wild cross-section of the crowd: die-hard, glow-stick-waving ravers, those who looked like they were still stranded at Burning Man and a handful of performative house-music-lovers collecting content before jumping in a car back to the club.
Experts Only is the kind of festival that attracts an eclectic hodgepodge and deftly gets everyone on the same wavelength via a soundtrack that invigorates, surprises and delights.
John blew up on Spotify in 2020, but before climbing the charts, the Chicago-native was pounding out sets at his college frat parties (Delta Tau Delta, to be exact). And yes — the accountant-to-DJ trajectory does feel like the ultimate corporate escape fantasy — and maybe that’s why it’s so easy to adore him.
His homespun success story also helps explain Experts Only’s massive draw. We managed to dodge the endless entrance queue, which TikTokers dubbed an “actual pilgrimage” with wait times nearing an hour. And upon entering, we passed by the “Pwemium” Lounge, a tongue-in-cheek nod to John’s meme-ified lisp.
We had timed our entry perfectly for the Adam Ten B2B Max Styler set.
Both artists were at the top of my list, so a joint set is an ultimate win, but the energy still wasn’t quite where it needed to be. The crowd was still filling in and warming up; chatting, grooving, perhaps bracing themselves before John’s promise to blow the roof off at 7:30 PM.
Our crew decided to catch a breather between Maccabi House remixes and duck out for a quick drink run.
Ghost Energy and Don Julio tequila are official fest partners, and the vendor lines move surprisingly fast — so this part isn’t difficult. Not long after sipping our liquid fuel and taking in the cast of characters dancing atop tables, the clock crept up on us. Right on cue, John, ever the businessman, took the stage.
His entrance was grand, indeed: pops of smoke evaporating, strobe lights slicing the air and he welcomed the crowd with his signature “New York, how the f*** we feeling, baby?” The energy sparked immediately. Suddenly, it was loud, warm and just a little goofy; Summit has a gift for deploying his boyish charm and taking everyone out of their busy heads.
Opening with his “DON’T BELIEVE IT” remix (sample lyrics: “I get so excited, I, I just can’t deny it”) felt like an obvious but necessary choice. The bass hit like a jolt of thunder, picking everyone up, electrifying them into a downright giddy mood. Fitting for an overcast day and early-evening set time. The crowd had been snapped awake.
Summit’s set took us back to college parties you still can’t get out of your head: when everyone was actually dancing — a momentary glimpse of youth.
Summit smiles, gleams, pumps his fists, plays to the crowd and put simply, looks like he’s having the time of his young life. He goes hit after hit: “Lights Go Out,” “In Chicago,” a Pitbull remix of “Hey Baby,” Britney Spears’ “I Wanna Go.” Party anthems paired with emotionally-wrecking lyrics. A supremely euphoric combination.
Our posse catches some ground in the VIP backstage section soon after. Tickets here run over $800, while tables with bottle service start around $5,000, granting an expansive, elevated view of the chaos and an optimal view of John — skimpily-dressed dancers contorting themselves into seemingly impossible positions beside him.
There is a trade-off: once you’ve experienced it from this POV, you’ll never want to go back to GA.
By the time his mix of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” drops, everyone around us is spinning and singing, and even I am starting to consider myself a fangirl (of which there are many). Out in the sea of bodies, we spot his face on chests and “Hot Girls Love John Summit” tees. It’s a dedicated army, truly.
Despite playing a marathon 2.5-hour extended set, the clock flies by, and soon enough, the chills-inducing “Go Back” remix with Julia Church comes on; spooky, sexy, tension-building and releasing all at once. And our cue, unfortunately, that the night is almost over.
Of course, the real finale would come hours later at Brooklyn’s Pacha for Summit’s promised afterparty. I didn’t have it in me to last that long, but our on-the-ground reporter told me she’s still recovering, in the best way possible.
Watching the Experts Only crowd that night, it hit me that New York nightlife is not dead, but alive and thriving — if you know where to look. Sure, the hour-long ferry and brutal lines were a lot, but seeing New Yorkers actually move like this again made all that logistical fluff completely worth the squeeze.
New York is back, baby. Experts Only though, of course.
Final verdict: I’d argue John Summit is exactly what the industry needs: someone who simply loves making music, knows how to entertain and put on an honest-to-goodness barnburner of a show. And that, alone, is reason enough to go for another round.
Where is John Summit going on tour in 2026?
A complete calendar including all North American tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.
| John Summit tour dates |
|---|
| Sept. 26 at LIV Beach in Las Vegas, NV |
| Oct. 1 at State Farm Center in Champaign, IL |
| Oct. 2 at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA Friday Experts Only pre-party |
| Oct. 3-4 at the Experts Only Festival in George, WA Two-day passes |
| Oct. 3 at the Experts Only Festival in George, WA Single-day passes |
| Oct. 4 at the Experts Only Festival in George, WA Single-day passes |
| Oct. 23 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, CA |
| Oct. 24 at the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, ON, CA |
| Oct. 25 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, CA |
| Oct. 29 at TD Garden in Boston, MA |
| Oct. 30 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA |
| Oct. 31 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. |
| Nov. 5 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX |
| Nov. 6 at the Moody Center in Austin, TX |
| Nov. 7 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX |
| Nov. 8 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX |
| Nov. 13 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH |
| Nov. 14 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC |
| Nov. 15 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA |
| Nov. 20 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, FL |
| Nov. 21 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, FL |
| Nov. 24 at the United Center in Chicago, IL |
| Nov. 25 at the United Center in Chicago, IL |
| Nov. 27 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA |
| Nov. 28 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY |
| Dec. 4 at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA |
| Dec. 5 at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA |
| Dec. 12 at the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA |
Who is performing at the Experts Only Fest at the Gorge?
Quite a few big names.
Summit will be joined by big names like Cassian, Daniel Allan, Devault, Hamdi and Jackie Hollander among others in Gorge on Oct. 3-4.
Want to go? You can grab single or multi-day Experts Only festival passes here.
John Summit new music
On April 15, John Summit released his second studio album “CTRL ESCAPE.”
The record, which is an unofficial statement about “breaking out of the matrix that is the corporate life” captures the energy of disconnecting and living without inhibitions.
This is never more plainly obvious than with the first track, “STATUS:AWAY,” where ringing phones and clacking typewriters disappear as the beat drops and the bass line crystallizes into something intended to shut your brain off and just dance. Sublime.
Other highlights here include the invigorating bop “SHADES OF BLUE,” triumphant fist-pumper “SATA,” trippy, jittery “WITH ME,” shimmery disco-esque jam “DON’T BELIEVE IT” and glitchy rump shaker “LIGHTS GO OUT” that will have you jumping before you know it.
For our money, the true standout though is the cathartic finale “CYANIDE.” Disregard the bleak title and just listen, this one sounds like what finding inner peace feels like. The perfect capper to an exhilarating roller coaster ride.
To hear for yourself, you can find “CTRL ESCAPE” here.
Huge EDM artists on tour in 2026
Hoping to bliss out at shows all year long?
We’re in the same boat, bassheads and ravers.
To make sure you’re in the loop, here are just five big time party-starters that you won’t want to miss when they swing into a venue near you these next few months.
• Zeds Dead
• Dom Dolla
• Tinlicker
• Black Coffee
• Fisher
Plus, we’d be absolutely remiss if we didn’t point out that Stevie Wonder is embarking on a nationwide tour celebrating his 1976 album “Songs In The Key Of Life” this fall. If you’re a fan of music, you won’t want to miss him live.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
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