Jay-Z to headline 2026 Roots Picnic alongside The Roots band

• Jay-Z will headline the 2026 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia alongside The Roots.
• The two-day festival will take place on May 30 and May 31 at a new venue, Belmont Plateau.
• This performance marks the first time Jay-Z and The Roots have shared a stage in over a decade.
• The rapper recently changed the styling of his name to celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of his debut album.

Jaÿ-Z is set to make a highly anticipated return to the stage as the headliner for the 2026 Roots Picnic alongside Grammy-winning hip-hop band The Roots.

The "I Know" rapper, who recently changed the styling of his name to Jaÿ-Z to mirror his 1996 debut album "Reasonable Doubt" ahead of its 30th anniversary, is set to take the stage with The Roots at the two-day festival in Philadelphia on May 30 and May 31.

This year, The Roots Picnic will be held at Belmont Plateau— a change from last year's venue that faced significant issues with long entry lines and rainy conditions. The new location is said to offer one of the best views of the city and has significant ties to hip-hop and Black culture in the '80s and '90s.

The Roots band formed in 1987 by singer Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia. They have served as the house band on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" since its premiere in 2014. The band previously held the same role on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" from 2009 to 2014. 

The picnic will mark the rapper's first performance with The Roots in over a decade. In 2001, the group famously served as Jay-Z's backing band for his "MTV Unplugged" special and for his "Reasonable Doubt" 10th-anniversary concert at Radio City Music Hall in 2006.

"Moving the Roots Picnic to Belmont Plateau and bringing JAŸ-Z and The Roots together to perform are both bucket-list moments for us," Shawn Gee,  the manager of The Roots and president of Live Nation Urban, said in a statement. 

Jaÿ-Z last took the stage for surprise performances on Beyoncé's record-breaking Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour, which wrapped July 2025 in Las Vegas.

Tickets for the picnic go on sale Tuesday, March 18 at 10 a.m. ET. However, early access to presale tickets are available today at rootspicnic.com

Follow USA TODAY Network's Music Reporter Caché McClay on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.