Mary J. Blige performs at the halftime show in Super Bowl XVI, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
After a two-year hiatus, the annual Roots Picnic will officially return to the Mann Center this summer.
The music and culture festival shifted to virtual in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and was canceled in full in 2021.
Now expanded to two days, the Fairmount park event will take place from Saturday, June 4, through Sunday, June 5, with Mary J. Blige, Summer Walker, and Wizkid among those headlining.
Blige — fresh off a commanding Super Bowl LVI half-time show — will perform with The Roots, the festival’s namesake, as her backing band.
Mary J. Blige, Jazmine Sullivan, and Summer Walker are among those headlining the 2022 iteration of the Roots Picnic. (Live Nation Urban)
Also featured will be Philly’s own Jazmine Sullivan, among other performers, including Kirk Franklin, Rick Ross, G Herbo, and more.
In an Instagram post announcing the lineup, the Roots Picnic called the 2022 festival a “love letter to Philadelphia,” thanking fans for their support over the past 15 years.
“We’re bringing you a 2 day festival (!!) that represents the Mosaic of Black Culture. Music, Podcasts, and an experience unlike no other,” read the post.
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Beyond the musical guests, a live podcast stage curated by Philadelphia’s Wallo267 and Gillie Da King will feature “Questlove Supreme,” “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” and “FAQ Podcast with Fuzzy & Quincy Harris,” among others.
Pre-sale tickets will be available online starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Tickets for individual days and weekend passes will go on sale to the general public beginning at 10 a.m. Friday.
“This one is special,” festival organizers posted, “and we are happy to be with our Picnic family again.”
Saturdays just got more interesting.
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