Run-DMC, The Roots Added To Hip-Hop Festival In Forest Hills

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Two big names in the music industry are joining the highly-anticipated Rock the Bells festival in Forest Hills as the city celebrates 50 years of hip-hop.

Rock the Bells will take place on Aug. 5, 2023, at Forest Hills Stadium, bringing big shots like Queen Latifah, Ludacris, and De La Soul to the venue next month.

Forest Hills Stadium announced this week that Run-DMC and LL Cool J with The Roots are also joining the lineup.

The stadium, which doubles as a tennis venue, is rebounding with a slew of shows and festivals after the pandemic wreaked havoc on live music and entertainment. Maggie Rogers, Fall Out Boy, The Arctic Monkeys, and others are slated to perform later this summer.

The sudden momentum at the venue hasn't been welcomed by some neighbors in Forest Hills.

A residents' group threatened to block a street that takes concertgoers from the train station to the popular venue after it hosted its first major event of the year in May, gathering thousands of concertgoers to the Head in the Clouds music festival.

The move led to a restraining order filed by Forest Hills Stadium, owned by the West Side Tennis Club.