Jay-Z announced as first headliner for Roots Picnic at Fairmount Park’s Belmont Plateau

Philadelphia’s The Roots, the festival’s namesake, will serve as Jay-Z’s backing band during his performance.

Cory Sharber

March 17, 2026

Jay-Z attends the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Grammy award–winning hip-hop star Jay-Z will headline this year’s Roots Picnic at the Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.

His performance will take place nearly 30 years after the release of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” which helped cement Jay-Z’s status as one of the premier hip-hop artists and is considered one of the greatest rap albums.

Last week, it was announced that after years of setting up shop at the Mann Center, the festival will now take place at the Belmont Plateau after heavy storms last year delayed the event’s start time due to significant mud build-up, as well as flooding on the grounds.

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

Details about the rest of the festival, scheduled for May 30 and 31, are expected to be announced later this week.

This will be the first festival Jay-Z has performed in Philadelphia since 2017, when he headlined that year’s Made in America festival, an event he helped curate for more than a decade.

Philadelphia’s very own, The Roots, will serve as Jay-Z’s backing band during the performance. Apart from moonlighting as Jimmy Fallon’s house band on “The Tonight Show,” the group’s mix of hip-hop and live instrumentation has netted them great success over the years, including Grammy wins and multiple gold- and platinum-selling albums.

The Roots perform during the annual Roots Picnic at the Mann Center in Philadelphia’s West Fairmount Park on Saturday, June 1, 2019. (Tim Tai/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP)

The last Made in America fest took place in 2022 when Bad Bunny headlined. The festival was canceled in 2023, with organizers citing “severe circumstances outside of production control.” It was once again canceled the following year and promised “an exciting return.”

Jay-Z faced criticism in 2024 after his entertainment company, Roc Nation, funded a campaign to support private school vouchers in Philadelphia. He also faced criticism after Roc Nation teamed up with the NFL on an initiative to amplify social justice.

Two-day tickets are on sale now via the festival’s website by using the promo code ROOTS26. General admission tickets start at $250.

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.