The Broccoli City Festival has been a bucket list item for me ever since it debuted right in my backyard of Washington, D.C., in 2013.
Back then, I was too broke and too laser-focused on getting a journalism job to worry about attending. By 2016, that ambition had me living in Connecticut and too disconnected to keep up with festivals. I was ready to dive back into the scene after attending Dreamville in 2019 and moving back to D.C. in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of two straight Broccoli City festivals.
That brings us to this past weekend. I finally made it to Broccoli City.
This year, like past years, I had prior engagements for the weekend, but I wasn’t about to miss another opportunity to see what the decade-long buildup of rave has been about. So I made time for a drive to the RFK Stadium Festival grounds for the first day of the weekend-long event and these are my takeaways, good and bad.
The box office was a mess
It's Day 2 of Broccoli City Festival!
Regarding Will Call, there will be new procedures in place for the day.
Stay tuned for more information. #BCFest23🥦 pic.twitter.com/fHFO6AXWbo
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) July 16, 2023
Just picking up my media credential from the will-call area was a hassle, so I can only imagine what it was like for the hundreds of people standing in line for general admission access — some of whom already paid and just needed to pick up wristbands. There wasn’t much organization, nor enough people in place to maintain order. The only line designated for media was flooded with non-media folks who had no way to know they were in the wrong line.
Organizers emailed an apology for the box office mess Saturday and said better measures were put in place for Sunday, but I wasn’t there to confirm. Either way, I would recommend future festival-goers pay to have their wristbands shipped early if possible. You don’t want to deal with those lines.
The in-festival setup was much better
WE OUTSIDEEEEE #BCFest23 pic.twitter.com/tMMHg1ZbmT
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) July 15, 2023
Once I got through the gates to the festival, the setup was much more organized and easy to navigate. There was one stage on the left side of the grounds from the entrance, another stage on the right side and a bunch of vendors in between the two stages with water stations and medical tents near the front and a portable toilet area with hand-washing stations near the back.
The distance between the two stages wasn’t too much to prevent me from going back and forth when I wanted. And the VIP area was easily accessible on the main-stage side, with a clear and direct view to the stage.
The weather wouldn't let up
Saturday was HOT. And to be clear, this isn’t a complaint, just an observation, and an obvious one at that. It’s the middle of July. Of course it was hot. And humid. And I was OK with that. Actually, I preferred the Saturday weather to the eventual rain that hit Sunday. But it didn’t work out for everyone.
Several people passed out over the course of the day, possibly due to a little more than just heat. But the heat didn’t help, and artists often had to interrupt their sets to alert the medical staff to someone who needed care.
Then, later in the evening, once the heat finally dissipated, the final two performances had to be canceled due to lightning. Two of the biggest draws of the weekend, Lil Uzi Vert and Jasmine Sullivan, didn’t get to perform. Festival organizers generously offered full refunds for the day.
But just in case you thought Broccoli City avoided the rain that has plagued the festival in the past, think again. The precipitation came Sunday.
The ladies owned the main stage
.@KekePalmer just blazed the Broccoli City Festival stage🔥 #BCFest23🥦 pic.twitter.com/wmyDMEodwZ
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) July 15, 2023
So, I have to reiterate that I didn’t attend Sunday, and from everything I hear, local hero Brent Faiyaz put on a great show to close things out, and Kodak Black performed, too. But on Saturday, with Uzi’s set being canceled, the women absolutely owned the main stage, a.k.a. the Broccoli Stage.
When I arrived, Saucy Santana was performing, followed by Rema, who put on a great show. But after them, Chloe Bailey, KeKe Palmer, Ice Spice and City Girls kept people glued until the eventual anti-climatic end of the night.
And despite how good Faiyaz might have been Sunday, the most viral moment to come out of the finale was Coco Jones’ earlier performance of SWV’s ‘Rain’ — in the rain! The people who decided to brave the elements got a good show out of it.
Coco Jones performed in the rain at Broccoli Fest the crowd went crazy 🔥
Shot for @HipHopDX pic.twitter.com/bXdNhrWznl— CoreyB📸✨ (@ACoreyBMoment) July 16, 2023
The City Stage was a good time too
Now, I have to admit, the lineup for this year’s festival didn’t exactly speak to me as a fan. Not that I have a particular problem with any of the artists that performed on the main stage, but I don’t listen to any of them regularly.
But while I more than enjoyed what they brought to the stage, I found myself creeping back to the City Stage often, and that’s because the live go-go sets from bands like TCB were more familiar to me as someone from the DMV area. It was a good old nostalgic time over there.
So many vendors
Make sure you support the event’s vendors while attending the festival! #BCFest23 pic.twitter.com/UfLmRcDHby
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) July 15, 2023
There was no shortage of food options at Broccoli City, with a good variety of local restaurants setting up shop in booths and food trucks. And though the variety of alcoholic beverages wasn’t nearly as expansive, there were enough bar booths to keep the lines short. The prices were predictably higher than they would have been outside of a festival but still reasonable for an event of this size.
Best of all, the vendor options went beyond food and festival merch. Other local businesses and entrepreneurs had the opportunity to share their brands and grow their audiences too, which was great to see.
I'm glad I made it
Broccoli City is a good time, especially if you’re catching one of your favorite artists performing some of your favorite songs — which a lot of people did this year. That wasn’t the case for me, but it still wasn’t a bad way for someone in and of the culture to spend a few hours one weekend out the year.
Now, I was obviously in the privileged position of attending as a member of the media, which allowed me to bypass much of the early mess. If I had to go through that, I’m sure my outlook wouldn’t be the same. In fact, at my age, I wouldn’t attend without the improved experience a VIP pass provides. But for a 20-something-year-old or anyone working on a budget, there was a lot to like. And in just the second year back after multiple cancellations, I’m willing to give organizers the benefit of doubt they’ll learn and be better in 2024. Hopefully they do. It’ll make things much better for everyone.
