This past weekend The Legendary Roots Crew hosted and co-headlined the largest edition of the Roots Picnic to date at The Mann at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. With over 60,000 attendees throughout the weekend, the event exceeded all expectations as one of the most anticipated festivals in the city of brotherly love.
Before the music started, the sold-out festivities began on Friday, May 31st with the return of the 2nd Annual Roots Picnic Con at the Fillmore Philadelphia. The conference included panel discussions powered by The Recording Academy, Cannabis Workers Union, Live Nation, Phor Essentials, and featured panelists such as Questlove, Marsha Ambrosius, and many more. That night, Black Thought returned with his standup comedy series “Black Thought Presents Delirious” at Punchline Philly, with surprise appearances from comedians from around the country.
Additional events prior to the concert series included the inaugural Roots Picnic LGBTQ+ Pride Party presented by Houses of Luv & Philly Black Pride at the Foundry on Thursday May 30, and the Roots Picnic Kickoff Party at Brooklyn Bowl the next evening.
On June 1, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro presented The Roots with a proclamation recognizing their contributions to the city of Philadelphia’s arts, arts education, and economy. The picnic kicked off at around 1pm, and featured some amazing acts throughout its three stages. The Centennial Stage included a blend of live shows and podcasts throughout the day, the Presser Stage set the tone for the evening with performances from October London, Smino, and Sexxy Red.
The Fairmount Stage had an unprecedented blend of Hip-Hop and R&B on Saturday, where audiences where able to see J.Period, Black Thought, Method Man, and Redman welcome FERG, Amir Ali, ReeCee, E.Ness, Freeway, and Common to the stage as special guests during the collaborative, J. Period Live Mixtape set. This was followed by The-Dream, who performed several of his hits such as “Fancy,” “I Luve Your Girl,” and “Falsetto.” Later in the evening, Nas lit up the stage with tracks from his 1994 debut Illmatic, and also welcomed Ghostface Killah onto the stage during his electrifying show.
Closing out the night, hometown powerhouse Jill Scott, coming off the heels of a massive 20th anniversary tour for her seminal debut album Who Is Jill Scott?, sang some of her greatest hits, along with a surprise debut of her brand new collaboration “Norf Philly” with special guest performer Tierra Whack.
In addition to the phenomenal music selection, the Roots Picnic also highlighted some of the best cuisine in the area. The Doordash Food Village featured places such as Bake ‘N Bacon, Down North Pizza, Oh Brother Philly, Federal Donuts & Chicken, and many more.
Between sets, attendees were also able to experience the swanky activations from brands such as Stella Artois, Smirnoff Ice, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Jack Daniels, among others. The Chase Sapphire Lounge was a popular location, and Grand Marnier celebrated the beginning of summer by offering an immersive festival experience where guests could enjoy live performances, cooling stations, photo moments, and the company’’s signature cocktail – the Grand Margarita.
With the massive success of the Roots Picnic Day 1, fans had a whole lot to look forward to on Sunday, with an awe-inspiring lineup of local legends and era-defining artists.
