The rain barely let up, my leave-out didn’t stand a chance, and my sneakers are probably done for — but honestly, Roots Picnic 2025 was worth it. The energy, the music, the people… it all reminded me why this festival is such a cultural staple.
Held at The Mann in Fairmount Park from May 31 to June 1, this year’s Roots Picnic was a glorious, messy, magical ode to Black music. And yes, even in the rain, people were outside happily walking through mud as they shifted between the main Fairmount Park, Presser, and Parkside stages. Curated by The Roots in partnership with Live Nation Urban, the two-day festival brought together an eclectic lineup that felt like a well-seasoned playlist: Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, House, Afrobeats, Rock, Soul, Jazz, and more.
Saturday night belonged to last-minute headliner, R&B icon Maxwell, who gave us a worth-the-wait velvet-smooth performance that made the weather feel nonexistent. Ahead of the closer, Miguel also took us back to his timeless hits like “Adorn” as Musiq Soulchild scoped out his day one Aijuswanaseing fans in the crowd with his classic set. On Sunday, Lenny Kravitz and hometown hero Meek Mill were slated to close it all out — but while Lenny electrified the Fairmount stage with “American Woman” and more, Meek’s set landed a little flat, possibly due to poor crowd-stage chemistry. Nonetheless, he still brought that Philly energy with “Dreams and Nightmares,” and a plethora of his early staples.
The event was definitely well-thought out on the music and culture front, and full of surprises and special guests. For Adam Blackstone‘s set, he brought out 2 Chainz, Total and Jagged Edge, whereas Pusha T morphed back into the Clipse with his brother No Malice to perform “Grindin.”
Meek also brought out a few familiar faces including Skrilla, Wallo and Gillie, and gave a touching, yet distorted, performance of the heartfelt collab “Proud of Me” with fellow Philadelphian, Fridayy. Dave Chappelle even surprised the crowd when he joined Maxwell on stage for a little backstory on how they met.
Dave Chappelle reveals during The Roots picnic in Philadelphia that Maxwell used to be a bartender, sharing that’s how he first met Maxwell while on a date with the woman who is now his wife, and Maxwell says that while he was a waiter he told Dave Chappelle he was funny and… pic.twitter.com/J9vb4uAKO9
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) June 1, 2025
Far from a dull weekend, Roots Picnic 2025 delivered. Between Trap Karaoke, Dear Summer Festival, Doo-Wop Party, random pop-up club settings at the many installations, the festival served every kind of vibe. Whether you came for Kaytranada‘s fire mixes, Jeezy‘s celebratory set, Tem’s celestial sound, Black Thought‘s effortless flow, or to witness Lenny Kravitz show us why Black rock stars matter, there was space for every kind of fan.
However, organizers might want to reconsider how they assign artists to stages based on audience age demographics next year. It felt like the older crowd gravitated toward the main outdoor stage, while the younger fans packed out the Presser Stage amphitheater. For example, the energy Latto brought to the amphitheater was unmatched. Meanwhile, GloRilla — who’s more than capable of hyping a crowd — didn’t quite connect with the older-leaning audience at the main outdoor stage.
And not to rain on the parade further (pun intended), but speaking as someone working in media, there’s still room for improvement when it comes to logistics. Entry into the venue — whether VIP, general admission, or media — was chaotic at best. Security and staff communication seemed to not be in sync, leaving media partners like myself stuck at times, waiting and navigating areas that, in my opinion, should’ve been better separated to avoid crossover with general attendees.
At the end of it all, however, I walked away with a full-heart — muddy, satisfied, and already counting down to next year.
Take a look at some photos from this year’s Roots Picnic below
Leave a comment