Following a weekend filled with complications at the 18th annual Roots Picnic, Questlove has issued an apology for the “plethora of logistical issues” experienced by attendees .

In an instagram post, Questlove cited weather conditions in Philadelphia as the primary cause of the festival’s difficulties.

“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,” the post began.

Questlove elaborated that severe weather leading up to the event caused significant damage to the venue, the Mann Center.

“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 as conditions were unsafe for everyone involved,” Questlove explained.

He further detailed the efforts made by organizers to ensure the safety of attendees despite the weather, which led to extensive delays and long wait times.

“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,” Questlove 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.”

Questlove also expressed gratitude to the staff who worked to ensure the safety of concertgoers under challenging 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.”

The 2025 Roots Picnic featured headliners including Latto, GloRilla, Meek Mill, Lenny Kravitz, Miguel, Tems, KAYTRANADA, and Jeezy.

“We nearly canceled The picnic because conditions were unsafe for everyone involved.”