A free, three-day community wellness and music festival is coming to Flint, aiming to bring together local artists, vendors, families and cultural groups from across the region for what organizers describe as healing through collaboration and connection.
The Roots Run Festival is hosted by The Hive, a wellness and arts collective in downtown Flint, with support from local partners and visiting artists from Ohio. The event centers on “music, mindfulness, and multicultural celebration,” with organizers emphasizing community-building through creative and wellness-focused programming.
“This event is about community and collaboration. We’re doing that through music, different wellness practices, and local vendors. We’re also making space for kids, because it’s important that they’re present while we’re healing, growing, and building together,” said Hunter O’Connor, owner of The Hive.
Roots Run spans three days, with a different focus each day. Day one is an intimate gathering at The Hive inside the Capitol Theatre Building, centered on personal healing through journaling, meditation and sound baths.
Day two moves outdoors for a full community celebration featuring breathwork, yoga, live music, workshops, kids’ activities, food trucks and more than a dozen local vendors.
“It’s very multicultural. We’ll have Indigenous leadership opening the space, Afro-Caribbean music and energy, African food, and strong representation from Flint’s Latinx community. It’s about all of us coming together, not staying separated,” said Alberto Bercich, owner of B&B Botanicals.
Organizers said diversity and inclusion were intentional from the start, with the festival designed to highlight Flint’s many cultures in one shared space.
The festival also includes a collaboration with The Love Locks Experiment, a collective of musicians and holistic practitioners traveling from Dayton, Ohio.
“They want to offer more than just a concert when they come to a city. They bring wellness, creativity, and collaboration. When we connected, we realized we share that same mission,” O’Connor said.
Organizers said that partnership helped spark what became the Roots Run Festival, named for the idea of artists traveling city to city while giving back to each community they visit.
The final day is set to wrap up with a large outdoor concert at Totem Books, with organizers teasing surprise collaborations and special moments.
“We’re rooted here in Flint. This community needs spaces like this, and we’re willing to be boots-on-the-ground to build trust and bring people together. This is just the beginning,” O’Connor said.
All three days of the Roots Run Festival are free to attend. Organizers are asking people to register on Eventbrite, especially for day one, which has limited indoor space, by searching “Roots Run Festival.” For more information on the Roots Run Festival click here.