Hip-hop music festival Rolling Loud is leaving Miami. See the next move
If you’re a hip-hop fan who loved the Rolling Loud Music Festival at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium, you’ll need to hit the road.
Rolling Loud is taking its only U.S. event this year to Orlando in May.
Festival co-founder and co-CEO Matt Zingler cited accessibility as the key reason for the move from Miami-Dade County to Orlando.
“With Orlando, we’re able to be more accessible for fans, expand our footprint and think long-term,” he said.
Before moving to Hard Rock Stadium in 2018, the festival was held in Wynwood and in downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park.
PHOTOS: See a gallery of pictures from Rolling Loud in South Florida
Zingler’s fellow Rolling Loud co-founder and co-CEO Tariq Cherif said Rolling Loud can be successful in other cities. In 2025, Rolling Loud hosted an international event in India. The Orlando event, at Camping World Stadium, will be the only U.S. site in 2026. International stops this year will be in India and Australia.
“As the brand has grown globally, it made sense to bring everything into one definitive U.S. show and build the ultimate flagship experience,” Cherif said.
Even without Rolling Loud, Hard Rock will be a busy place this year. The stadium hosts the college football championship game later this month, Formula 1 racing events in May and World Cup matches in July.
Representatives for the stadium, owned and run by the Miami Dolphins, declined to comment. The mayor’s office for the city of Miami Gardens didn’t respond for comment.
But the announcement didn’t go over well with some on social media.
“Abandoning Miami, the city that help grew this festival?” asked a fan on Instagram. “I was so excited to go to RL Miami again but no way I’m making a four-hour drive.”
Another user cited poor timing, with the Rockville music festival in May in nearby Daytona Beach in May.
Rolling Loud was founded in 2015 by Zingler and Cherif, both Miami natives, as a one-day hip-hop music festival that evolved into a globally recognized week of events. Many of the biggest names in hip-hop including Kendrick Lamar, Future and Travis Scott have performed at Rolling Loud, as well as Miami stars Rick Ross, City Girls and Denzel Curry.
Go to rollingloud.com for ticket information on the Orlando and international music festivals in 2026.
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 5:34 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)