Beloved music festival returns

Rhythm & Roots Returns

How festival producer Chuck Wentworth got the beloved show back on stage

Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys performing at the 18th Annual Rhythm and Roots Festival

Rhythm & Roots is a Rhode Island tradition. The state’s largest locally run music festival, it returns this Labor Day weekend after the pandemic forced cancellation in 2020. The Charlestown event promises to be as vibrant as ever, with nationally recognized headliners taking the stage each day. And no one is more excited about it than festival producer Chuck Wentworth.

“We got o to a really good start in 2020,” Wentworth begins. “We sold more tickets in advance during those first two months than we’ve ever done. People were really happy with the line-up; we were just sailing along, and then everything came to a screeching halt.” Pausing to reflect, he continues, “At that point, we refunded hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of tickets, and that was a very painful process, but we did it. We refunded everyone who bought a ticket, instead of trying to roll things over.”

Like so many live events, Wentworth pivoted to a virtual model last summer, with Rhythm & Roots made up of performances recorded over previous years. “It’s not the same thing,” he concedes. “This year, we had about 75 percent of the acts from last year confirmed to return. Interest was high.”

Throughout the winter, Wentworth shares that planning for this year’s festival was touch and go for a while. He worked with state and local o cials for permission and updates on restrictions and notes that Governor Dan McKee was instrumental in bringing the festival back this year. “He’s very much pro-music, pro-festival, pro-tourism. He’s been behind a lot of e orts to get these festivals up and running. He’s put the state o ces behind it all,” says Wentworth.

The financial loss during the pandemic was devastating for many businesses, but Rhythm & Roots pulled through. Still, this year’s festival will look slightly di erent. “We’ve eliminated the Family Stage and the Youth Music Camp out of concern for those under 12 who will not be vaccinated,” Wentworth explains. “There will be limited capacity overall; we’re keeping an eye on the numbers. We want to make sure that there is a lot of space and no congestion. We want to have people spread out and enjoy themselves, and not ruin the experience.”