June 02, 2025
Jake Katznelson/For PhillyVoice
The Roots Picnic, above in 2020, delayed the start to this year's festival because of heavy rains, but organizers said Monday that they will not issue refunds for the rain-or-shine event.
The Roots Picnic got off to a rocky and muddy start Saturday.
Heavy rains threw a wrench in the Philly concert's plans, and poor communication over delays left festivalgoers outraged. But while organizers issued an apology, they said Monday there will be no refunds.
The Roots Picnic, hosted by hip-hop legends and Philly natives the Roots, has been held at the Mann Center every year since it began in 2008. The FAQ for the festival, which was Saturday and Sunday, clearly states it's a rain-or-shine event, but guests who paid hundreds of dollars for tickets felt ripped off by hours of delays and complained about a lack of communication.
Gates were supposed to open at noon Saturday, and long lines remained stagnant for over an hour before it was announced that the start of the show would be pushed back to 2 p.m. to allow the organizers to remediate the poor conditions of the grounds.
"We're making sure everything's perfect for y'all, so take a little extra time and we'll see you soon!" the Roots Picnic's X account posted at 1:09 p.m.
But 2 p.m. came and went. Guests reported that people were not let into the festival for multiple hours, and lackluster communication from organizers made matters worse. Photos posted to social media show hundreds of people tightly packed at the park entrance.
Gates were supposed to open at 2 It’s almost 5p and we’re still waiting to get in. pic.twitter.com/ycm0wj180s
— Nice&Slow (@ALfromtheville) May 31, 2025
The next post from the picnic's official account didn't come until 5:03 p.m.
"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," the festival said. "It created some real safety hazards, and we couldn't open the gates until we made sure everything was solid for y'all."
However, most attendees were waiting for at least another two hours before getting into the festival. "Let us in" chants were heard from the sprawling lines, and some ticket holders decided to cut their losses and leave before ever stepping foot inside.
"It was an absolute disaster," South Jersey mental health therapist Lauren Brown told Philadelphia Magazine. "We had seen an announcement earlier in the day that they were postponing opening until 2 p.m., so we got there at 2 p.m. And we didn't get into the venue until 7:01 p.m."
By roughly 7:30 p.m., attendees who weathered the physical and metaphorical storm had made it inside the event, but not without their grievances.
Roots picnic needs to refund people for the day
— Thats Weird (@CheckePlease) May 31, 2025
There’s no way VIP & GA+ line is over 2 hours long plus people waiting in the rain
#rootspicnic made me realize i never want to go to a music festival ever again ever in my life
— theraroy 🦋 (@theraroyy) June 1, 2025
When asked if the Roots Picnic would issue refunds or discounts for future events, organizers made it clear that the disgruntled guests were out of luck.
"The Roots Picnic is a rain or shine event," Roots Picnic representatives told PhillyVoice. "The festival was able to deliver a full day of artist performances and programing so we will not be issuing refunds."
Roots Picnic, the Mann Center and the Roots' Questlove took to social media on Sunday morning to apologize to attendees, promising a better second day.
"We nearly canceled the Picnic because conditions were unsafe for everyone involved," Questlove wrote in an Instagram post with a disabled comment section. "It's 3 a.m. and I wanna thank you for your understanding and patience through this adversity...Tomorrow is a new day."
Indeed, the festival's second day seemed to have a sunnier outcome. Performances from Lenny Kravitz, Meek Mill and Kaytranada were well received, and the Roots performed its entire "Do You Want More?!!!??!" album.
