Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) farm in Manchester, Tennessee, since it was founded in 2002. The festival typically starts on the second Thursday in June and lasts four days. Musical acts begin on Wednesday evening and end on Sunday night. Its multiple stages feature stylistically diverse music, including

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, Americana, bluegrass,

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

, folk,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, pop, electronic, and other

alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Independent music *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alter ...

. The festival was ranked in 2003 by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as one of the "50 Moments That Changed Rock & Roll", "Festival of the Decade" by ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...

,'' and among the 10 Best Festivals by '' GQ Magazine''.

History

Ashley Capps, co-founder of AC Entertainment, developed Bonnaroo following the cancellation of the Hot Summer Nights rock music festival in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

in 1999. Hot Summer Nights, which was a mainstay in Knoxville's World's Fair Park would suspend operations permanently following construction by city officials. Capps said: "The closing of the World's Fair Park for concerts precipitated getting creative and trying to find, 'OK, if we can't do this anymore, how can we still participate in the summer outdoor concert business,' and it was from that that Bonnaroo was ultimately launched." The festival was launched in 2002 by Capps, Superfly, manager Coran Capshaw and music agent Chip Hooper. In 1999, the future site of Bonnaroo hosted the Itchycoo Park Festival (named after the song Itchycoo Park by

Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...

), considered the spiritual predecessor to Bonnaroo. Inspired by the 1974 Dr. John album '' Desitively Bonnaroo,'' the founders chose the name "Bonnaroo" -- Creole slang for a really good time -- for both its meaning and to honor New Orleans music. In 2019, after a record breaking festival sell out, it was announced that Live Nation was buying out Superfly's share of Bonnaroo. The 2020 event was initially pushed back three months until September 2020, and ultimately cancelled because of health concerns surrounding the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...

. The 2021 event was canceled due to torrential rainfall from Hurricane Ida saturating the stage area, campgrounds, and tollbooth area, and making ground conditions unsuitable for vehicle traffic. In 2025, the day after its Thursday night opening, the festival was cancelled due to severe weather.

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

has exclusively streamed the festival from 2022 to 2024, alongside Austin City Limits Music Festival and

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

. Bonnaroo co-founder Jonathan Mayers, who launched the festival with Superfly co-founders Kerry Black, Rick Farman, and Richard Goodstone, died on June 10, 2025 at the age of 51.

Economy

In 2009 the Bonnaroo Works Fund was created as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for the festival. The organization awards grants to local non-profits and schools. By 2013, the direct and indirect economic impact of the festival since its inception was estimated at $51 million, including $2.9 million in tax revenue for the year 2012. In 2023, Bonnaroo contributed $339.8 million to the regional economy (including over $5.1 million in tax revenue), and created or supported 4,163 full-time job equivalents.

Environmentalism

Bonnaroo actively supports recycling and sustainability. In 2011, A Greener Festival recognized Bonnaroo's efforts for the previous three years with an award. In 2004 Bonnaroo said it prevented having to collect 120 tons of trash by encouraging fans to recycle. Food and drink are sold in organic and recyclable materials to create less waste. AGF auditors review festivals, as well as requiring their self-evaluation. As of late, Bonnaroo has initiated many "green" activities during the festival, such as Planet Roo.

Reception

When the festival began in 2002, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' referred to Bonnaroo as "the culmination of a musical movement." CNN described it as "music and subculture melted together into a pot of creative bubbling energy." In 2008, it was named "Best Festival" by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine, calling it "the ultimate over-the-top summer festival". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said "Bonnaroo has revolutionized the modern rock festival" in 2012, '' Spin'' called it the "best festival of the summer", and the Grammy's have deemed it "the pinnacle of summer music festivals". '' Billboard'' named Bonnaroo the 8th best music festival in 2022. Bonnaroo has been referred to as "the

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Festival of the United States" based on its similarities to the massive British festival, which, like Bonnaroo, includes camping, a sense of community, and a large farmground location.

Venues

Bonnaroo has various stages in the venue area (called "Centeroo") and in the campground area (called "Outeroo"). Centeroo stages include the What Stage, Which Stage, That Tent, This Tent, and The Other Stage (previously "The Other Tent", but changed to a full stage to accommodate the growth of EDM at the festival). Outeroo stages in the campgrounds vary year-to-year, but has included a Where in the Woods Stage since 2018, which exclusively offers electronic music shows during late night hours. The biggest stage that headliners appear on, the What Stage, can accommodate up to 80,000 fans.

Notable performances

R&B singer D'Angelo marked his return to American stages for the first time in over 12 years on June 9, 2012, with a surprise performance at the festival's annual Superjam. He was backed by members of the R&B collective the Soulquarians, most notably Questlove, James Poyser and Pino Palladino, with guest guitarist Jesse Johnson. The set was composed almost entirely of covers. In 2009,

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

played their final ever show at the festival. Other performers have included Widespread Panic (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011), Phish (2009, 2012, 2019), The Dead (2003, 2004), Dead & Company (2016), U2 (2017),

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

(2008, 2016),

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

(2015), Mumford & Sons (2011, 2015),

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

(2014),

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(2011, 2018),

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(2010, 2014),

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

(2014),

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(2003, 2007, 2010, 2014),

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(2013), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (2006, 2013),

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(2013),

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(2012, 2017, 2024),

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

(2006, 2012),

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

(2003, 2011), Dave Matthews Band (2005, 2010),

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

(2010),

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and the E Street Band (2009),

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

(2009),

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

(2008), the Police (2007),

Tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...

(2007, 2022), and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

(2004).

Activities

In addition to music, Bonnaroo offered comedy and cinema in a dedicated tent. The tent was removed in 2008. Bonnaroo offers various artistic, environmental, and community activities throughout the weekend in both Centeroo and Outeroo. These activities include parades, dance shows, yoga, sustainability lessons, a 5k run, a marriage barn, a water slide, vendor markets, and more.

Annual attendance

''Note: all figures are approximate'' * 2002: 70,000 * 2003: 80,000 * 2004: 90,000 * 2005: 76,000 * 2006: 80,000 * 2007: 80,000 * 2008: 70,000 * 2009: 75,000–80,000 * 2010: 75,000 * 2011: 80,000 * 2012: 100,000 * 2013: 90,000 * 2014: 90,000+ (''estimated'') * 2015: 74,000 * 2016: 45,500 * 2017: 65,000 * 2019: 80,000 * 2020: 0 (Canceled due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

) * 2021: 0 (Canceled due to flooding from Hurricane Ida) * 2022: 40,000 *2023: 85,000 *2024: 70,000

By year

References

External links

Bonnaroo.com
Official Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival website
Bonnaroo 2023 Lineup AnnouncedGreatStagePark.com
Official Site of Bonnaroo Property
Inforoo.com
The Unofficial Bonnaroo Message Board
Survival Guide
Leo's Unofficial Bonnaroo Survival Guide
''How Do You Roo? A Survivor's Pocket Guide to Bonnaroo'' (Lulu, 2010)
The first (and only) unofficial guidebook to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival {{authority control 2002 establishments in Tennessee Counterculture festivals Jam band festivals Landmarks in Tennessee Music festivals established in 2002 Music festivals in Tennessee Rock festivals in the United States Tourist attractions in Coffee County, Tennessee