Upcoming Broccoli City Festival dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
What Broccoli City is and why the details change
Broccoli City Festival is a hip-hop and R&B festival based in the Washington, D.C. area, built around a mission of promoting environmental awareness and health causes in the African-American community. It has drawn crowds of about 35,000 and has hosted artists from Solange and Childish Gambino to Megan Thee Stallion and Summer Walker.
The first thing to know before buying is that Broccoli City does not have a fixed home or a fixed calendar slot. Over its D.C. run it has been held in April, May, July, August and September, at venues ranging from an open festival ground to NFL and MLS stadiums. The 2026 edition was a one-day R&B event on September 19, 2026, at Jiffy Lube Live, an outdoor amphitheater in Bristow, Virginia, in the Northern Virginia suburbs. Read each year's announcement for the date, venue and format rather than assuming last year's plan carries over.
From an Earth Day show in Los Angeles to the D.C. area
Brandon McEachern, an entrepreneur from Greensboro, North Carolina, and his friend Marcus Allen staged the first Broccoli City event in Los Angeles in 2010. It promoted their clothing line and Earth Day causes, with a bill of West Coast rappers that included Kendrick Lamar, Dom Kennedy, Casey Veggies and Skeme. Co-founders Darryl Perkins and Jermon Williams joined for the move to Washington, D.C., which Wikipedia dates to 2013, with Big K.R.I.T. as the first D.C. headliner.
Broccoli City has used the festival as a platform beyond music. In 2022 the festival weekend coincided with the launch of BLK Change Weekend, focused on racial equity for younger Black audiences, and the 2024 edition added comedy, karaoke and gaming programming alongside the stages.
Venues, dates and headliners by year
A sample of editions, drawn from Wikipedia and local news coverage:
- 2017 (May 6): headlined by Solange, with 21 Savage, Lil Yachty and Rae Sremmurd.
- 2019: held at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, with Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne at the top of the bill.
- 2022 (May 7–8): a two-day event with 21 Savage, Ari Lennox, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, Wizkid and Wale.
- 2023 (July 15–16): at the RFK Festival Grounds, with Lil Uzi Vert, Brent Faiyaz, Ice Spice, Asake and Kodak Black. Weather disrupted performances that year.
- 2024 (July 27–28): moved to Audi Field in the Navy Yard neighborhood, with Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna, PartyNextDoor and Lil Yachty.
- 2025 (Aug. 8–10): a weekend of events built around Chris Brown's Breezy Bowl XX tour stop at Nationals Park, with Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller, plus a karaoke night and a block party.
- 2026 (Sept. 19): a one-day R&B event at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, headlined by Summer Walker with Elmiene, Destin Conrad and kwn.
No 2027 date, venue or lineup had been announced as of October 2026.
How tickets are structured
Because the venue changes, the ticket map changes with it. The pattern across recent years:
- General admission (GA) is the core ticket. At a festival-ground or field setup, GA means standing room on the grounds; at an amphitheater, GA usually means the lawn.
- VIP adds separate entry, lounges and better restrooms. For the 2024 stadium edition, the festival also sold indoor VIP lounges, private skyboxes and reserved seating sections, which only exist when the event is in a stadium.
- Single-day vs. weekend passes apply in two-day years; the 2026 edition was a single day.
- Presales typically open a few days before the general on-sale, using card-member or festival codes announced on social media.
Demand tracks the headliner more than the festival brand, and the lineup announcement is the main price driver. In stadium years, a reserved seat in a lower-level section near the stage end gives a clearer view than standing far back on the field; in amphitheater years, a reserved pavilion seat beats the back half of the lawn. Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee.
Getting there and planning the day
Plan transportation around the specific venue for the year:
- Navy Yard venues (Audi Field, Nationals Park): the two stadiums are a few blocks apart and both are served by the Navy Yard–Ballpark Metro station, so Metrorail is the simplest option from downtown and most hotels.
- FedEx Field (Landover, Maryland): the stadium is in the suburbs east of D.C., where most fans drive or use rideshare.
- Jiffy Lube Live (Bristow, Virginia): an outer-suburban amphitheater with no Metro service, so driving and paid lots are the norm; expect slow exits after the last set.
For visitors, Washington, D.C. hotels in Navy Yard, Capitol Riverfront or downtown work well in stadium years. In amphitheater years, a Northern Virginia hotel shortens the drive. Check the year's venue for its bag policy, since stadiums and amphitheaters in the area set their own rules; so confirm the current policy with the festival and venue before you go. The festival's official site posts each year's details.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Broccoli City Festival held?
It changes. Recent editions have been at the RFK Festival Grounds (2023), Audi Field (2024), Nationals Park (2025) and Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia (2026).
When is Broccoli City Festival?
There is no fixed slot. Editions have run in April, May, July, August and September. The 2026 edition was on September 19, and no 2027 date had been announced as of October 2026.
What kind of music is at Broccoli City?
Hip-hop and R&B. Past headliners include Solange, Childish Gambino, Lil Wayne, Megan Thee Stallion, Chris Brown and Summer Walker.
Who started Broccoli City Festival?
Brandon McEachern and Marcus Allen started Broccoli City in Los Angeles in 2010. Darryl Perkins and Jermon Williams joined as co-founders when the festival moved to Washington, D.C.
Can you take the Metro to Broccoli City?
In years held at Audi Field or Nationals Park, yes: the Navy Yard–Ballpark station serves both stadiums. The 2026 venue, Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, has no Metro service.
Sources
- Wikipedia – Broccoli City Festival
- WUSA9 – Broccoli City Festival moving to Audi Field in 2024
- FOX 5 DC – 2024 lineup announced
- FOX 5 DC – Broccoli City teams up with Chris Brown's Breezy Bowl XX tour (2025)
- Hot 92.9 – Summer Walker, Elmiene tapped for Broccoli City's Holding Hands festival (2026)
- JamBase – Broccoli City Festival 2026
- Music Festival Wizard – Broccoli City 2026
- Broccoli City – Official site
- Wikipedia – Audi Field (Metro access)