Rolling Loud Moves to Bayfront Park, Expands to Three Days

The Miami hip-hop festival Rolling Loud will get a change of location for its third year. Since Dope Ent. founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler created the event in 2015, the two-day hip-hop music festival, which was born and raised in Wynwood, has developed a strong following. Earlier this week, Dope Ent. revealed next year’s dates and the festival’s new location: Bayfront Park.

"Bayfront Park has been in our sights for a long time, and we believe the last installment of the festival proved we are ready to scale up,” cofounder Tariq Cherif tells New Times via email. “Bayfront is a venue we'll be able to grow within for years to come. And, no, Zika didn't have anything to do with it.”

Last year, the festival took place at Mana Wynwood (the home of III Points) with fewer bumps and bruises than its inaugural year. With YesJulz as the hostess, hip-hop’s biggest stars flocked to Dade County. A few of the stars in attendance included Future, 2 Chainz, Young Thug (or should we say “Jeffery”), Curren$y, Zoey Dollaz, and Kodak Black, while hometown heroes in the Miami rap scene like Kent Jones, Pouya, Fat Nick, and Yung Simmie dominated the secondary stage. After the event reached capacity both days, however, Dope Ent. felt it was necessary to find a new home.

With the new, bigger space will come an increase in ticket prices, but it’s not just because of the new venue. According to Cherif, the two-day event will now be a three-day affair, much like Ultra Music Festival. Also, Cherif says, Rolling Loud has “more than tripled our talent budget,” which means more opportunity for big-name artists to perform.

“We plan on sticking to our recipe and adding to it,” says Cherif. “More up-and-comers, more breakthrough artists, and multiple major acts.”

Rolling Loud is set to go down at its new home in Bayfront Park May 5 through 7, 2017. The official lineup for all three days is coming soon.