JAŸ-Z is headlining the 2026 Roots Picnic, taking place May 30 and May 31 at a new location in Philadelphia: Belmont Plateau.
He’ll be taking the stage on May 30, closing out the night alongside The Roots. The performance will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt.
“Moving the Roots Picnic to Belmont Plateau and bringing JAŸ-Z and The Roots together to perform are both bucket-list moments for us,” Roots manager and Live Nation Urban President Shawn Gee said in a statement.
“After meeting with Mayor Cherelle Parker and hearing her vision for Philadelphia 250, she truly inspired us to dream even bigger, and we’re grateful to her, Commissioner Susan Slawson, Jazelle Jones and everyone who helped make it happen. We can’t wait to see everyone in May at the Plat.”
The Roots gig will be Hov’s first live performance since he popped up as a guest during one of wife Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour shows in Paris. His last festival performance was in 2019, when he surprised fans at Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival.
Hov’s set will also mark his reunion with The Roots, who backed him for his 2001 MTV Unplugged special and for his 10th anniversary concert for Reasonable Doubt in 2006.
Presale tickets for the Roots Picnic are now available using the code ROOTS26. Tickets then go on sale to the general public Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET.
More artists will be announced at a later date.
It remains to be seen how else Hov plans to celebrate 30 years of his debut album.
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