The annual Roots N Blues festival in Columbia announced a couple major changes Friday, including that it’s dropping the “and BBQ” from its name.
The festival’s new owners, who took over six months ago, said the festival is making a push for greater inclusivity by focusing on female representation.
In a statement, the management team said the 2020 festival will have women performers in every act they book, and announced two Grammy-award-winning female headliners: R&B singer and activist Mavis Staples and singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile.
Roots N Blues co-owner Tracy Lane said the initiative aims to address inequalities in representation in the festival scene. “20 to 25 percent female representation generally. And that’s not just talking about solo artists or front artists, but all artists," Lane said. "So we thought let’s not just talk about this as a problem, let’s do something about it.”
As far as dropping the "BBQ" component of the name, the festival's statement said because, “All varieties of midwestern cuisine are available at the festival,” the name needed to reflect all their food offerings.