"The Roots Picnic feels like a big cookout," the Philly-native DJ said. "It feels like that one moment where the whole city comes together."
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The Roots Picnic returns to Philadelphia this weekend, bringing a packed bill of more than 40 performers to the Mann Center in Fairmount Park, including Philly's own DJ Diamond Kuts.
The talented DJ first played the two-day music and culture festival a little more than a decade ago, where she described her sets as "little side quests." But over the years, the DJ has put in the work of performing all over the festival that attracts tens of thousands of attendees each day.
"I've done other festivals and especially other concerts, but the Roots Picnic feels like a big cookout," she said. "It feels like that one moment where the whole city comes together, and we celebrate with people that may not be from the city, but we all here are having a good time."
"Growing up, you would always hear about the iconic block parties that used to happen in Philly," Diamond Kuts said. She said her father bought her a set of turntables when she was 16, and DJ Cosmic Kev took her under his wing.
"So growing up hearing all of these stories, naturally, I was like, 'I want to try to DJ,'" she said. "My dad was so happy to get me my first set of turntables, and from there, I was, like, addicted."