Adventures on Punk Island
Since 2008, Punk Island has brought New York City’s DIY punk scene to Randall’s Island. Six stages, three food trucks, and several merch booths spanned the Harlem River Events Area of the park.
I was a little nervous to attend as I’ve never been to Punk Island before. About 2 train rides later, I made it into the city to catch the bus to Randall’s Island and almost instantly, my nerves settled. I went from standing alone at the bus stop to a small crowd emerging all dressed in black (myself included) but expressive clothing. Thankfully, the bus arrived just in time as it began raining (the first of several times that day).
Immediately, I found myself greeted by Concrete Burial performing at the Back to the NYHC Roots Stage. Before I could even fully process the festival, lead singer Brian emptied a box of pool floaties onto the grass and a mosh pit ensued. Floaties were thrown in the air, some used them as makeshift swords, others ran around the pit with them in hand. But the age old rule of moshpits still stood, if and when someone fell, the community helped them right back up.
The onslaught of rain certainly wasn’t stopping anyone from enjoying this festival. The energy was palpable. It was hard to stay focused on a single performance; I would stand by one stage yet couldn’t help but make my way to the next one. It felt as though this was everyone’s one day of freedom, one day to let loose, one day to be carefree. There were people of all ages - older punks, newer punks, parental punks with their child punks.
“I love our community. I love our energy. I love that we all come together and enjoy ourselves. - It’s a safe space and nobody gets judged.” - Yadee Araniva, lead singer of Ratas En Zelo. Ratas En Zelo were set to play at The Pigeon Pack stage later in the day. She’s right. Punk Island prides itself in its diversity and inclusion and its right to do so. The festival was manned by volunteers with booths with FUCK CANCER signs, workshops to make zines regarding sexual and reproductive health, and pride flags galore.
Another festival goer said, “I’ve always grown up in the punk scene. It’s an important part of who I am because I come to support the pool that’s always supported me.” As I made my way around the festival, talking to various attendees, that was a common sentiment.
All six stages had crowds of varying sizes, but none of them were ever empty. With over 70 bands performing and 20 minute set times each, there was always a new band to see and experience; all of the crowds were eager to jump in and dance, especially if it were for a band they hadn’t heard of before. I genuinely don’t think I’ve seen so many mosh pits in one place before. It was such an amazing experience; it wasn’t a Warped Tour or Governor’s Ball, and it wasn’t trying to be. It didn’t need to be. “It reflects the community but especially, it reflects New York. You know, there’s a certain vibe, you can’t get it anywhere else in the world. Even though New York can be divided, sometimes there’s a link, it’s good to see that this is the link that brings us all together.” - Siddiq “Creature” Booker, lead singer of Rebelmatic.
