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 Great Stage Park is a 650-acre (2.63 km2) outdoor event space located southeast of Nashville in Manchester, Tennessee. Since 2002 it has been home to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the largest outdoor festival in North America. It wa ...

, 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 Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

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 ''GQ'' (short for ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and previously known as ''Apparel Arts'') is an international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though ...

''.

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 "Itchycoo Park" is a song by English rock band Small Faces, written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. Largely written by Lane, it was among a number of pop songs of the era to make use of flanging, an effect involving, at that time, electro-mec ...

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 Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...

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 Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, on two consecutive three-day weekends and is inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series ''Austin City Limits''. The festival is pro ...

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 A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

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 Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

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 Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' called it the "best festival of the summer", and the

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

's have deemed it "the pinnacle of summer music festivals". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' 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 Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

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 The Soulquarians were a rotating collective of experimental Black music artists active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Initially formed by singer and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and p ...

, most notably

Questlove Ahmir K. Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought ...

, James Poyser and

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A session bassist, he has played bass for a number of acts such as the Who, the John Mayer Trio, Gary Numan, Paul Young, Don Henle ...

, 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 Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell (musician), John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJ ...

(2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011),

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

(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 Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, double bass, bass guitar), and Ben Lovett (British musician), B ...

(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),

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

(2011, 2018),

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...

(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),

the Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...

(2003, 2007, 2010, 2014),

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

(2013),

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. The band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...

(2006, 2013),

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

(2013),

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

(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 Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...

(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),

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

and the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

(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 The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

(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

* 2002 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2003 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2004 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2005 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2009 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2011 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2012 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2013 Bonnaroo Music Festival *

2014 Bonnaroo Music Festival The 2014 Bonnaroo Music Festival was held June 12–15, 2014 in Manchester, Tennessee, United States, and marked the 13th time the festival has been held since its inception in 2002. Line-up Thursday, June 12 (artists listed from earliest to l ...

* 2015 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2016 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2017 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2018 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2019 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2022 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2023 Bonnaroo Music Festival * 2024 Bonnaroo Music Festival

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