Questlove Apologizes For Roots Picnic Issues

Questlove has offered an apology following a plethora of logistical issues and muddy conditions because of constant rain at the 18th annual Roots Picnic over the weekend.

Taking to Instagram, Quest explained how the weather in his hometown of Philadelphia was the cause of an array of problems for the festival

“Good People & The Attendees Of The Roots Picnic 2025. Aight— I know today wasn’t “ideal” for The Roots Picnic in this 18th year of 2025. This year has been particularly challenging to say the least,” his post began.

“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 7 am). We nearly canceled The Picnic because conditions were unsafe for everyone involved,” the post continued.

Quest then explained how he and the organizers sought to make the venue safe despite the inclement weather, which caused several delays and ticket holders to wait in lines for hours.

“Ultimately, we chose to take extra time to repair the site to ensure safety for all ticket holders, which is why there was a 3-hour delay (Yes, I got numerous messages from attendees, family, everyone in the tristate). But we prioritized caution above all else,” Quest wrote. “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.”

Quest then expressed his appreciation to the staff who helped ensure the safety of concertgoers under difficult circumstances.

“I’m personally thanking all the Live Nation Staff —led by Shawn Gee for moving at lightning speed in solving the many obstacles and puzzles it took to even make today happen.”

This year’s Roots Picnic was headlined by Latto, GloRilla, Meek Mill, Lenny Kravitz, Miguel, Tems, KAYTRANADA, and Jeezy.