Everything You Need to Know About Attending Roots Picnic 2025
America’s favorite hip-hop band brings an exquisite talent lineup (and food menu) to Philly’s Fairmount Park every year
There are few better places to spend a late spring day in Philadelphia than Fairmount Park, a 2,050-acre collection of trails, fields, and natural wonders bisected by the Schuylkill River. But as Philly hip-hop titans the Roots asked on their 1995 breakthrough album, Do You Want More?!!!??! We can’t be certain that they meant, specifically, “...from your trip to this verdant urban sanctuary?” but if the answer is “yes,” then Roots Picnic 2025 is ready for you.
Since 2008, the critically acclaimed house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon have hosted the Roots Picnic festival, which brings together legendary names and up-and-comers alike. With multiple stages bolstered by dance parties, top-notch grub, and daytime activities that include a spades tournament, Roots Picnic is full of good vibes and open-mindedness, stemming from the hosts’ wide-ranging enthusiasm for culture in general.
Roots Picnic 2025 is a two-day affair headlined by soul explorer D’Angelo backed by the Roots, rock lifer Lenny Kravitz, and hometown rap hero Meek Mill. Roots drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson has established himself as a food obsessive over the years, and he and his band will have a hand in selecting food vendors from around Philly. Other local businesses and nonprofits will also get a chance to shine. Read on for a guide to one of hip-hop’s premier summer festivals.
Where and when is Roots Picnic this year?
Roots Picnic 2025 goes down Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, at and around The Mann Center for the Performing Arts located on the west side of Fairmount Park. The Mann is the park’s crown jewel, with views of the downtown skyline and lots of green space. Roots Picnic stretches across multiple stages and areas, allowing concertgoers to take in Fairmount’s beauty and the celebratory spirit kicked up by two days of music and community-building.
How’s the Roots Picnic lineup?
The Roots have become one of hip-hop’s cornerstones since forming in the late ’80s, with lead MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter still making headlines for his cerebral, tightly wound freestyles and drummer ?uestlove known as one of American popular music’s chief historians. Given their reputation—and the fact that, as the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, they see a lot of artists at their day job, too—they’re able to attract top-tier acts from across music’s spectrum. Reclusive R&B legend D’Angelo is a massive draw. He’s only performed sporadically over the last couple of decades and seeing him backed by the Roots—featuring his longtime creative “co-pilot” ?uestlove—will be a treat. Meek Mill’s Philly bona fides are unimpeachable, and he’ll likely show out at this homecoming show. Lenny Kravitz has been breaking down boundaries with his muscular, psychedelia-tinged rock for more than three decades.
The rest of the card is filled out by some of modern music’s most compelling artists. Soul alchemist Miguel is a magnetic live performer who has amassed a wide-ranging catalog since debuting in 2010. Memphis MC GloRilla has had a seismic impact on hip-hop in a short time, fusing crunk and drill in thrilling fashion. Philly producer and songwriter Musiq Soulchild will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his flag-planting debut, Aijuswanaseing, while the Roots themselves will honor the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Do You Want More?!!!??! Local club legend Rich Medina will take over the decks for a set celebrating house music featuring live appearances from iconic divas Crystal Waters and CeCe Peniston.
Brooklyn DJ J.PERIOD is also bringing his “Live Mixtape” experience back to Roots Picnic. An improvisational set structured like a mixtape—but with every creative decision being made in real time—these sets showcase J.PERIOD’s mixing skills and the featured MCs’ ability to think on the fly. This year’s edition will include Black Thought (a frequent Live Mixtape guest) alongside rap luminaries Pusha T and 2 Chainz, plus possible surprise guests.
How do I get tickets to Roots Picnic?
Tickets for Roots Picnic can be purchased at RootsPicnic.com. The general-admission tier, which starts at $225 for a two-day pass, gets you into the Mann Center for the weekend. Further up the price range are multiple tiers that offer more access and perks, including the GA+ Experience, which gives ticketholders access to a lounge and private bars, and the Gold VIP Experience, which includes drink tickets, meal vouchers, prime views, and an on-site concierge.
How do I get to Roots Picnic?
Located at 5201 Parkside Avenue in the northwest corner of Philadelphia, the Mann Center is accessible via car, bike, public transportation, or rideshare—or you could even walk over after visiting other attractions in Fairmount Park, like the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center garden or the ziplines at Treetop Quest Philly. The Mann offers free on-site parking but traffic gets heavy near showtimes and the lots fill up quickly. (The Mann is a nonprofit, and members’ perks include VIP parking.) Bike racks are located to the left of the venue’s South Gates.
Philadelphia’s SEPTA transit network offers the Mann Loop bus, but if last year’s schedule is any indication, it may not be running during Roots Picnic. Other bus routes, including the 52, can get you close enough to The Mann’s entrance to walk—check SEPTA’s Trip Planner to find exact schedules. Rideshare pick-up and drop-off takes place at the venue’s North Gate.
Where should I stay?
Philadelphia has tons of lodging options, and SEPTA’s many routes make getting to and from The Mann easy. If you’d like to keep the Fairmount Park vibes going, the adjacent ROOST Kelly Drive combines boutique-hotel chic with homey comforts—although, note that, due to demand, a stay over Roots Picnic weekend must span at least four nights. For those in the mood to splash out, the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center has rooms with panoramic city views, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten-helmed restaurant, and an infinity-edge pool with an incredible vantage point of the city. If you plan to explore when you’re not grooving to the music, Philly’s many neighborhoods are full of delightful attractions and lodging options—you can soak up American history and experience some of the country’s most innovative dining in Old City, or you can make like Rocky Balboa and take in the bustling food scene at the Italian Market then run up the commanding steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
What should I eat?
Concessions at Roots Picnic have always been on point, thanks to ?uestlove’s certified food-lover status, which includes a pair of books he authored on the topic — the Mixtape Potluck cookbook and his collection of chef interviews, Something to Food About.
This year’s “Roots Picnic Food Festival” will highlight some of Philadelphia’s many Black-owned restaurants, including African-Southern fusion outpost Amina, Detroit-style pizza joint Down North Pizza, Caribbean-American soul food purveyors Gigi & Big R, and West Philly Chinese takeout spot Black Dragon. The full list of vendors is on the Roots Picnic site.
What should I wear?
Street style that can stay comfortable over the course of a busy day outdoors is the name of the game at Roots Picnic. (The show’s Instagram posted a sartorial PSA last year: “Dos: Wear comfortable shoes, bring a jacket, be photo ready; Don’t: play with it.”) Lightweight layers and something waterproof might be wise to account for climatic unpredictability—mid-Atlantic weather in the late spring can be volatile, and Roots Picnic is a rain-or-shine event.
What else is there to do at Roots Picnic?
On-site attractions will include: a World Series of Spades tournament where competitors will play the beloved card game while engaging in top-flight banter; Sunday School, the Kirk Franklin-hosted celebration of gospel and hip-hop; karaoke throwdowns hosted by Trap Karaoke and Girls Love Karaoke; and the globally minded All Spice World Dance party. Befitting the community vibes, local businesses and nonprofits will also set up shop at The Mann.
Additionally, Roots Picnic often becomes the centerpiece for events taking place around Philadelphia celebrating Black culture and the power of music. Last year’s Roots Picnic week kicked off with the first installment of a songwriting camp sponsored by Warner Chappell Music Publishing and curated by ?uestlove and Black Thought, among others. There were also tons of events and afterparties around Philadelphia—from a kickoff party to get people in festival mode to an LGBTQ+ Pride Party to a raucous Sunday brunch. Ask around and follow the action.
Should I go to Roots Picnic this year?
Absolutely. The Roots are an American treasure and the lineups they put together are entirely unique—full of new discoveries and cherished favorites. Also, Philly is a great city, with tons of innovative restaurants and welcoming neighborhoods. The Mann is just one part of Fairmount Park, a huge municipal park with riverside views and tons of spots to commune with nature.
If you find yourself feeling FOMO on the other side of the country, the Hollywood Bowl is hosting A Roots Picnic Experience: Class of ’95 the following weekend. Celebrating what ?uestlove has called “the days when the world was our oyster,” the event will feature a continuous set from the Roots backing a parade of ’90s hip-hop stars—Lil’ Kim, Redman & Method Man, E-40, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ Quik, Raekwon, members of Goodie Mob and Mobb Deep, et al.—flowing into a proper headlining set by Roots Picnic’s venerable hosts themselves.