The Roots Picnic
The Mann Center
Philadelphia, PA
Shrithik Karthik
Roots Picnic is held in Philadelphia every year in the first week of June. This year, it returned to The Mann Center in Philadelphia with an absolutely killer lineup. It is more than just a music festival; it is a celebration of art, music, and culture. The lineup covered so many genres: R&B, Rap, Hip-Hop, Pop, and more. Over 30,000 people were in attendance, and they completely sold out on Saturday. People came from all over the country for this music festival, and it was definitely worth it.
There is a lot to talk about, but the organization was the most notable. Many of the artists could get on and off the main stage quickly, and on the main stage, there were very few delays on both days. For a music festival, this is a considerable feat. The festival organizers did an excellent job setting up the stages, food vendors, free water stations, and other attractions throughout the festival space, which added to the area’s livelihood. Overall, it was such a fun experience, and I had a great time. I was invited to check out the VIPee Restroom Experience hosted by Charmin. This experience included a DJ, a Charmin mascot, and, most notably, a phenomenal bathroom experience, which was such a treat and infinitely better than the porta potties available at most festival grounds. It was spotless and very high quality, and the toilet paper was also very comfortable. It was open to all festival goers; they would have to RSVP, and when their time came, they would be allowed to use the restroom. This was a great touch and should definitely be included at future festivals.
I really enjoyed a few sets: Sexyy Red, Smino, Lil Wayne and the Roots, and more. Including two main stages just a short distance from one another with two very different feels made the experience fun and new. The Presser Stage and The Fairmount Park Stage were the two stages I frequented the most, with the centennial stage being more like a podcast stage where people would talk more than perform. The presser stage gave the vibe of an outdoor pavilion, while the Fairmount Park Stage was more like a main stage at a festival with a very high stage, perfect lighting, huge visuals, and more. All the headliners performed on this stage, which was obviously very fitting.
Sexyy Red was my favorite performance, though it was only around 30 minutes; it had great energy, visuals, set design, backup dancers, and more, and it was just so much fun. She gave it her all in those 30 minutes, and from a photographer’s perspective, my best pictures came from her set. Another artist I absolutely love is Gunna; however, his set was concise, mainly due to the massive delay in switching the set to his. The artist before him was running very late, so as a result, his set was cut very short, which was very unfortunate. Besides him, everything was relatively smooth when changing the sets for new artists, and the turnaround time was quick.
Another artist I enjoyed was Smino, who gave a captivating performance. He had very crowd control, engaged with everyone in the audience, and was so much fun. I really enjoyed his set, and he is an absolute must-see live.
The two main headliners, Jill Scott and Lil Wayne gave a headline performance. What they did live was incredible and very deserving of the headline spot. Lil Wayne rapped on an infectious beat, and the CO2 jets added a nice touch, accentuating his performance well. Jill Scott’s flowery set design with immaculate visuals was a fantastic touch for her headlining performance.
This was a phenomenal weekend with so much music and fun. Shoutout to all those who made this weekend happen. This is a must-see festival if you’re in Philadelphia or the surrounding areas. Make sure to come check it out next year!
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