DC’s favorite mid-summer festival went down last weekend at the RFK Stadium Festival Grounds, and though the weather wasn’t in our favor, attendees still made the most of it.
Broccoli City Music Festival was first founded in DC in 2013 and though it’s been held at a few different venues throughout the years, it has stayed local since its creation. This year, however, a stacked lineup brought roughly 30,000 attendees out and into the July heat to catch some of their favorite hip-hop and R&B artists. This year’s scheduled headliners consisted of Lil Uzi Vert, Jazmine Sullivan, and Brent Faiyaz. Other artists included Ice Spice, Rema, City Girls, Kodak Black, Mariah the Scientists, and more.
Attendees at will-call dealt with some turbulence at the beginning of the festival due to rowdy lines, but once inside the festival grounds, tensions eased as music streamed from both stages, which were packed for the dates of July 15 and 16.
As for the entertainment, the performing artists were phenomenal. They all knew how to throw a good show, and did admirable jobs in the 90-degree heat. The organizational aspect of the festival was lacking in some areas, but most of the performances were able to make up for most of the difficulties that arose throughout the day.
As time grew later and later on July 15, storm clouds covered the once-sunny sky, and the show ended early. Attendees weren’t given performances by the promised headliners, and many left in disappointment. The festival has since announced a 100% refund for single-day ticket buyers and a 50% refund for two-day ticket buyers.
To touch more on performances (specifically those I was able to photograph), the artist choice was top-tier. Ice Spice gave a captivating performance, as she has recently gained a ton of attention with her hit songs Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2, Barbie World, In Ha Mood, and more. Rema also brought crazy energy, despite how early in the evening his set was. A song of his that perfectly fits his vibe is Calm Down off of his album Rave & Roses Ultra. It’s a beautiful song and was even better live.
Though some aspects of the festival ran a bit less than smooth this year, next year is another chance to iron out a few of those creases and create another vibe-filled weekend of music, art, and community, which I don’t recommend missing.
Below are additional photos of Rema, Ice Spice, and Chloë from Saturday, July 15, at RFK Stadium Festival Grounds. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Katie Child.
