Verizon transforms the sky with 5G at 2022 Governors Ball Music Festival

BASKING RIDGE, NJ - Verizon is bringing concertgoers a new way to experience Governors Ball Music Festival this weekend with Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband. For the more than 150,000 people expected to attend the popular music festival at Citi Field in New York City, Verizon and Snap Inc. will power a transformative 5G AR experience in front of the festival’s main stage.

Following the first-of-its-kind Connected Lens for Super Bowl LVI, Verizon and Snap have teamed up again for a new Connected Lens experience at The Governors Ball Music Festival, a continuation of how Verizon and Snap are partnering to enhance the fan experience and future of live events. Remote Connected Lenses on Snapchat allow people to create shared AR experiences that friends can utilize together at the same time, and return to over time.

“Our 5G Ultra Wideband network, which is available in more than 1,700 cities, is transforming live entertainment for our customers, and we’re excited to showcase the power of 5G on a stage like Governors Ball, one of New York’s pre-eminent music festivals,” said Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer at Verizon. “Through our partnerships with Live Nation and Snap, we’re creating new ways for concertgoers to experience the festival by giving them unique tools that tap into their individual and collective creativity.”

"Augmented reality is transforming the ways Snapchatters can experience live events," said Anne Laurenson, Senior Director of Global Carrier Partnerships, Snap Inc. "Together with Verizon and Live Nation, we are changing the landscape of what's possible at a festival like Governor's Ball, and we look forward to seeing Snapchatters have fun and engage with their friends through these innovative on-site AR activations."

Utilizing a Sky Segmentation Lens on Snapchat, Gov Ball attendees can interact with each other virtually at the festival. The 5G Lens is available exclusively to Verizon customers with a 5G device in the Verizon Cabana, where the Lens will transform the sky into a shared creative canvas. Verizon customers can come to the Verizon Cabana for amazing views of the GovBallNYC stage, lounge seating and complimentary phone charging. For Snapchatters with access to Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, the high-powered 5G network will enable seamless connectivity even in a crowded festival environment.

Verizon 5G devices have more processing power than non-5G devices and more importantly, access to the Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network, which can enable truly next-level AR experiences allowing Snapchatters to connect, share, and experience these upgraded AR experiences.

The Governors Ball Connected Lens will prompt Snapchatters to invite friends into a shared experience where together they will be able to decorate the sky above the GovBallNYC Main Stage Presented by Verizon with Gov Ball icons and pre-set phrases. They will have the ability to decorate the sky with graphics, including stickers that move to the music, in the Lens and will be able to see each other’s activity in real-time, and chat directly through the Lens as well.

Snapchatters will also be able to use the Lens on their own, and a scaled down version of the experience will be available to anyone at the festival using 4G LTE or if they are connected to WiFi. The Lens, available to everyone at the Main Stage, will prompt Snapchatters to scan the sky above the stage with their Snapchat camera to unlock a unique static AR experience.

Verizon is an official partner of the Governors Ball Festival and is the Main Stage sponsor.The three-day event will be hosted at Citi Field for the second time in its 11-year history and will run from June 10 through June 12. Kid Cudi, Halsey, and J.Cole will be headlining the festival across the weekend. Other acts include Lil Wayne, Becky G, Flume, Louis The Child, Tove Lo, Jack Harlow, Joji and Glass Animals.