The Roots Picnic Will Expand To New York City This Fall
Festival will leave Philadelphia for the first time ever.
It’s only been two days since the 9th annual Roots Picnic went down this weekend—one of the many music festivals to do so—but the band has just announced that, coming this Fall, the show will expand outside of Philadelphia for the first time: this year, New York City.
As the first-ever ticketed concert event to be held in Bryant Park, the show will span two days, with the Roots headlining alongside D’Angelo and John Mayer on October 1, and the Wu-Tang Clan topping the bill with Nile Rodgers on October 2.
Swizz Beatz, Jeremih, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Bibi Bourelly, Yuna, EPMD, Kevin Gates, Styles P, X Ambassadors, Echosmith and others fill the line-up, too. More than just music though, the festival will feature comedy sets from Jerrod Carmichael and Neal Brennan, as well as a collection of pop-up food stalls. See the bill below.
Roots drummer Questlove told Billboard, “New York is a second home to us. There’s going to be pop-up shops there, really good curated food, comedy, DJ parties there and acts that you wouldn’t expect… We’re deeply involved in everything, from the grass area to the food you’re gonna eat to the music you’re gonna hear in between. We’re a part of all of that.”
MC Black Thought added, “Bryant Park is an amazing location because it’s so central to the city. We’re Philadelphians; we pride ourselves on being a Philadelphia brand gone universal. And we’re kind of honorary New Yorkers because of the Tonight Show gig, so we thought it was a respectful way to pay homage to our second homes.”
Tickets will go on sale Friday, June 10 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com.