The Roots Picnic announces move to the Belmont Plateau
After last year's soggy and muddy situation, Live Nation, Questlove, and the Roots have announced a change of venue.
More than three decades after Will Smith’s 1991 smash hit “Summertime,” Roots Picnic organizers are betting Belmont Plateau is a place where everybody will go again.
Live Nation, Questlove, and The Roots announced on Instagram Friday afternoon that the 18th Roots Picnic will be held May 30 and 31, at the Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park.
Maxwell, Lenny Kravitz, and Meek Mill headlined last year’s picnic at the Mann Center. Heavy rains before the festival’s first day, with Maxwell as that evening’s headliner, led to a late start and long lines as organizers tried to clean up the muddy grounds. Kravitz and Meek Mill played the next night. The evening went smoothly, but the grounds were still wet and there were issues with ticket holders getting in.
“We heard you. New venue. Better experience,” the joint Instagram post from the Roots Picnic and Questlove’s accounts read.
“Moving the Roots Picnic to Belmont Plateau is a bucket list moment for us,” said Shawn Gee, The Roots’ manager, who said the area where the picnic will be held will be fully fenced in. “Nearly 20 years ago, when we started at Festival Pier this is where we always imagined it could end up.”
Belmont Plateau, known for having the best view of the Philadelphia skyline, is considered the early epicenter of Philly hip-hop.
Each Saturday during from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, DJs from — Jeffrey “Jazzy Jeff” Townes to to Jerome “Cash Money” Hewlett — mixed and scratched on the turntables while teenagers flossed and flirted with fresh cuts and new cars.
In 1991 Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith — back when he was still the Fresh Prince — filmed “Summertime” at the Plateau, affectionately known as simply “the Plat.”
“Back in Philly we be out in the park. A place called the Plateau is where everybody goes,” Smith rapped, and Belmont Plateau has been on the historical map of hip-hop destinations ever since.
In addition to the nostalgia, the new venue, organizers say, will have an additional festival entrance “to reduce lines and speed up entry.”
This year’s lineup is expected to be announced next week.