Rolling Loud Rescheduled (Again) to July, Original Headliners Intact

Miami's premier hip-hop music festival Rolling Loud has announced the latest rescheduled dates along with the confirmed artist lineup for its return to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens this summer.

The 2021 lineup for the three-day event, now scheduled to take place over the weekend of July 23-25, is led by the originally planned 2020 headliners A$AP Rocky (Friday), Travis Scott (Saturday), and Post Malone (Sunday). Other artists who were initially featured on the 2020 lineup who've been carried over to this summer’s event include “WAP” singer Megan Thee Stallion, T-Pain, 21 Savage, Rick Ross, Lil Uzi Vert, Fetty Wap, Chief Keef, Lil Yachty, Gucci Mane, and Tyga.

Some previously announced acts didn't make it onto this summer's slate, including headline-level rap stars like Action Bronson and Big Sean.

The emergence of COVID-19 in North America early last year forced festival cofounders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler to initially postpone the planned May 2020 event to February 12-14, 2021. Then, in November, organizers were again forced to push back the event, this time to May 7-9.

The new July dates seem to be a realistic timeframe for the massive festival’s return. In-person outdoor events are once again becoming the norm as Florida continues to loosen its public gathering guidelines heading into the spring months.

Though the in-person festival has been affected by the pandemic, Rolling Loud has found plenty of success online through its partnership with Twitch. Its virtual festival, Loud Stream, has been a runaway success, attracting millions of viewers. Its Valentine's Day edition in February, featuring acts like Fetty Wap, Erica Banks, and Yung Baby Tate, garnered 3.8 million combined views over its two-day run.

Festival organizers confirmed with Monday's announcement that they will honor tickets originally purchased for the 2020 festival and will offer refunds to ticket holders who can no longer attend the 2021 event. Refund information will be sent directly to ticketholders later this month.

A limited number of tickets for the July 23-25 event will also be made available for purchase starting this Friday, April 23, at noon.

It remains to be seen what pandemic-related protocols will be in place at the festival, if any. Miami-Dade County recently lifted its midnight curfew as well the noise ordinance that prohibited music from being played above a certain volume. Gov. Ron DeSantis also issued an executive order banning the use of "vaccine passports" in the state, ostensibly prohibiting businesses and events from asking for proof of vaccination. (The Florida House is looking to make the ban permanent with a recently filed bill.)

Rolling Loud could require the use of facemasks or guarantee special perks for those who do provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. That said, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent announcement that half of the adults in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine dose, there's a good chance we'll be seeing fewer restrictions, not more.
Rolling Loud. Friday, July 23, through Sunday, July 25, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami Gardens; 305-943-8000; hardrockstadium.com. A limited amount of tickets go on sale Friday, April 23, at noon via rollingloud.com.