Roots Picnic Apologizes After 'Fyre Fest' Comparisons
Roots Picnic Rebounds With A Questlove Response After Day 1 Attendees Allege ‘Fyre Fest’ Frenzy
Questlove gave a heartfelt explanation after the 2025 Roots Picnic Day One “disaster” that left furious fans stranded outside for hours due to severe weather and lack of staff and planning. Organizers’ response to heavy rains drew “Fyre Fest” comparisons, but the Roots drummer claimed that long delays were all they could do to save the day.
When it comes to good vibes and great performances, attendees have high expectations for the Roots Picnic. And the annual event always comes through for the culture, but this year, the weather had other plans. On Saturday, people flocked to Philly and lined up in advance to see acts like Maxwell, GloRilla, Latto, Tems, Jeezy, and Miguel.
The doors to the event were scheduled to open at 1 p.m. Yet, the lines outside of Fairmount Park just got longer and longer without explanation. Philly Mag reports that more than three hours later, the official Roots Picnic account finally posted an update:
“Hey fam—due to the heavy storms that hit the Philly area over the last 24–48 hours, the festival grounds took on a lot of mud and flooding. It created some real safety hazards, and we couldn’t open the gates until we made sure everything was solid for y’all.
The good news: the schedule has been adjusted so you won’t miss a single act we promised. We’re just shifting things back to make sure everyone still gets the full experience.
Appreciate your patience and understanding while we do what we gotta do to keep it safe and unforgettable. We promise we’ll make up for it—welcome to the Picnic!”
By the time of the announcement after 4 p.m., several complaints claimed it was too little, too late. Although the weather for outdoor events is a wild card, critics of the Live Nation-produced picnic pointed out that torrential rains and flood warnings began weeks ago. Demands for refunds started as the wait for entry dragged on until about 7 p.m. The confused crowd was left standing all that time as rain continued.
Even when doors did finally open, despite the rain and mud, there was a bottleneck through the limited metal detectors. “It was an absolute disaster,” Lauren Brown told Philly Mag about the chaos. She claimed no one communicated to them what was going on, even when they questioned event staff walking by.
Val Jenkins said the VIP line was three times longer than general admission. Some people eventually gave up and left, while another woman passed out in line. “There was no food for those of us waiting out there in line for hours and hours. Maybe that woman was diabetic and needed to eat. Who knows? It was just wrong,” she said.
Journalist Ernest Owens called it the “Philadelphia Fyre Festival” and said the event “needs to be cancelled forever” in his Instagram post. Yikes!
The long-anticipated show did eventually go on. Still, many attendees want their money back for Roots Picnic, which used to be free to attend.
Check out the highlights from the 2025 Roots Picnic and Questlove’s response to the backlash after the flip!
Questlove Explains Rain-Delayed “Disaster” On Day 1 Of The 2025 Roots Picnic, But The Show Goes On
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Questlove responded to the “Fyre Fest” feedback about the Roots Picnic. He revealed that organizers “nearly canceled” the 18th annual festival due to safety concerns. Rather than call it off, he said the team scrambled to save the site during that three-hour delay.
“Transforming the Mann Center into our event takes about two weeks, but as many of you experienced, heavy rain from May 30th into the morning of the 31st caused significant damage (midnight to 7am). We nearly canceled The Picnic because conditions were unsafe for everyone involved.
Ultimately, we chose to take extra time to repair the site to ensure safety for all ticket holders, which is why there was a 3hr delay. (Yes I got numerous messages from attendees, family, everyone in the tristate) but we prioritized caution above all else,” he wrote.
The post featured a video of construction equipment hauling the mulch that helped to salvage the night.
“After working hard to improve the site—factoring in the challenge of finding mulch to absorb excess water—we managed to revise the schedule so that all artists, including headliners Maxwell (whom we ALL owe an incredible amount of gratitude for doing us a solid with seconds on the clock) and Latto could perform without violating city noise curfews.
“(Im personally thanking all the Live Nation Staff—led by Shawn Gee for moving at lightening speed in solving the many obstacle and puzzles it took to even make today happen),” he continued, thanking everyone for “understanding and patience through this adversity.”
Day 1 Of The Roots Festival
Rain or shine, Latto, Tems, GloRilla, Miguel, and Maxwell still took the stage with performances that ride-or-die fans said were worth the wait.
Day 2 Of The Roots Picnic
Heading into Day 2, organizers posted a sunnier forecast for the day and promised to “do better.” The apology noted the feat of pulling off the Saturday performances “without violating city noise curfews.”
Once again, crowds showed up, and the stacked roster of stars showed out.
Sunday’s lineup featured a Clipse reunion, CeeLo Green and the Backyard Band, Lenny Kravitz, Kaytranada, 2Chainz, Philly’s own Meek Mill, and, of course, The Roots.
Even with the disappointing start to the weekend, the 2025 Roots Picnic was definitely one for the record books! There was no shortage of feedback for the organizers, so hopefully it will only make next year even bigger and better.
