Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival first made an impact on the southeast in 2002 with AC Entertainment and Superfly Presents, attracting headliners like Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, The String Cheese Incident and Ween to the 700 acres of Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tenn., with a whopping 70,000 tickets sold. Bonnaroo returns this year for its 14th annual festival June 11–14, 2015, with Billy Joel, Mumford & Sons, Deadmau5, Earth Wind & Fire, STS9 and more. Over the years music and art lovers have witnessed some of the most influential music legends of our time, including Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Police, Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Beastie Boys and Tool. With around 150 performances each year and 10-plus stages, Bonnaroo is now one of the biggest music festivals in the country, generating an estimated 90,000-plus annual Bonnaroovians. As I reach my sixth year at Bonnaroo, I have watched the festival welcome the most talented artists in every genre of music, from indie-rock band the Black Keys, rap artists Eminem and Snoop Dogg, electronic musicians Bassnectar and Pretty Lights, female soloists Jenny Lewis and Regina Spektor, and jazz, blues, country, reggae and pop acts. As festival season rolls around each year, there is no doubt that Bonnaroo will have the most diverse overall lineup in the Southeast, and, fortunately for those of us in Middle Tennessee, it resides in our own backyard.
Bonnaroo 2015 will include Earth, Wind and Fire, Billy Joel and Deadmau5
My first year at Bonnaroo was 2008, and I had never experienced anything of the sort. It was a community of lovers, fairies and sprites, hula-hoopers, old and new-age hippies. There were people dressed in costumes, gentle souls relaxing under trees, extravagant show lineups that spanned from noon until around 4 a.m. with some of the best artists I knew of at the time, such as Kanye West, Rilo Kiley and Metallica. It is hard to forget the first show I ever saw at Bonnaroo, featuring MGMT. Night was approaching and the whole crowd seemed to be on a wave of refreshing positivity and appreciation; it was enchanting.
Every year it seems I get more advanced with my survival techniques at Bonnaroo. We pack up the cars the night before with a mixture of healthy and junk food, water (I now prefer large water jugs over individual plastic water bottles, as it reduces plastic consumption and is easier to refill for cleaning purposes), lots of sunscreen (prepare for Tennessee sun!), baby wipes (since showering at a festival is not always top priority), camping supplies (air mattresses and cots have become my friends), fest gear with lavish apparel and accessories (bring comfortable clothes easily adaptable to hot days and chilly nights), flashlights and more as we prepare to leave the “everyday world of responsibilities.”
There is something magical about showing up to the farm, staking your tents and canopies with a big group of friends while you acclimate yourself with your neighbors and the area that will be your home for the next four days. I have learned to remember my surroundings, such as balloons, flags, tapestries, etc., as finding your way back to your campsite can be difficult the first night with so many unfamiliar tents and cars. Heading down Shakedown Street is always an excited mesh of Bonnaroovians traveling to and from Centeroo (the main festival area that is not for camping) with jewelry and apparel, and vendors such as Enchanted Planet and Wormtown Trading Co., selling crystals and tapestries. Take the time to investigate the diverse and local food vendors along the way, like the unbeatable $1 grilled-cheese stand that always hits the spot on late-night adventures.
High Fives all around. Festival photos by Andrea Stockard.
There is a luminous air as you wander into Centeroo for the first time. Everyone high fives when Bonnaroo lets in the first big rush of attendees every day, and throughout the weekend you will hear excited fans sporadically screaming “Bonnaroo” as others readily holler in response. Eager Bonnaroovians write on “The Wall” in chalk that inquires, “Before I die, I want to . . .” The festival becomes surreal as you see some of your favorite bands the first night and learn the whereabouts of the marvelous main stages named Which, What, This, That and The Other. You spend the next three days basking in the free sunshine and shade-grazing under dispersed massive trees, witnessing some of the most extravagant light shows at night with glowsticks, light-up toys, flow performances, fire-spinning and staying up until the sun rises after catching late-night shows, hitting the Silent Disco and making new friends.
Once you enter Centeroo, enjoy Planet Roo, an area for a variety of environmental action, yoga, meditation, one-of-a-kind artist performances at the Solar Stage (solar-powered!), nonprofit organizations, the Oak Tree Collective and great local and organic meals at The Planet Roo Café, Crescent Foods. The Academy offers interactive workshops in art, theater, dance, instrument building and gardening, and Rock the Earth presents music and dance, speakers and interactive entertainment. In the Bonnaroo Learning Garden, expand your expertise on growing your own garden, composting, herbs and more. The Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp returns with daily broadcasts on RBMARadio.com with public lectures and performances by today’s hit musicians.
Inside Centeroo, Bonnaroovians can visit the Bonnaroo Comedy Theatre, which in the past has showcased top comedians like Aziz Ansari, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Tosh and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Escape the sun at the Bonnaroo Cinema with pre-release independent features, documentaries, comedies, classics and interactive happenings alongside live Q&A sessions with special guest filmmakers and actors. Past showings includes “Dark Side of the Rainbow” (the Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz tandem), the NBA finals, favorite movies such as Garden State along with such bonuses as a Q&A with actor-writer-director Zach Braff, and documentaries including Rock the Earth: Mountaintop Removal. The Bonnaroo Beacon onsite newspaper and Relix magazine keep you posted daily.
Bonnaroo has lots to marvel at with its light-up clock tower, color spinning Ferris wheel (from which you can see the entire farm) and the recent Hamageddon, a large fire-breathing metal pig. The huge mushroom fountain in the center of Centeroo changes “trippy” paint-designs every year and is a great place to find friends, figure out where you are going or simply rinse off. The Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Barn transforms into the legendary New Orleans “watering hole” with lights, reindeer and “creepy Santas.” The Silent Disco, where listening to music on headphones provides a “quieter” show from the outside looking in, stays open until the wee hours of the morning. Vendors with extraordinary, transcendental art, pins and jewelry stay up late entertaining guests such as vendors Third Eye Tapestry, and an exquisite array of food seems to always satisfy your late-night cravings.
Bonnaroo encourages everyone to join the Refill Revolution and to bring their own reusable water bottle for the large, blue mushroom water fountains dispersed throughout the festival. Having partnered with Steelys Drinkware and the Plastic Pollution Coalition, Bonnaroo now offers affordable, high-quality stainless steel water bottles and beer cups. Having an insulated scuba foam carrying strap, you can attach these to your bag or belt loop to reuse and help reduce plastic consumption. Festival organizers also encourage using Rideshare (Zimride), a service which aids people in finding rides and saving gas (not to mention emissions!).
If you are wanting to stay fit or healthy over the four days, Yoga-Roo offers classes free and open to all levels. Get involved with the 2015 “Roo Run” and enjoy the Splash-a-Roo, old-fashioned, fun races on the 35-foot Tropical Slide. If you’re brave, check out its neighboring 40-foot Big Ass Water Slide.
Bringing children? Kidz Jam inspires positivity and growth as it promotes a music interaction, culture and creativity. Kids can enjoy performances, games, recycling art projects, and play music themselves with provided instruments. Kidz Jam provides children with fresh water, sunblock, earplugs and tips on safety.
Nonprofit organizations continue to make a difference at Bonnaroo with groups like HeadCount, at whose booth you can register to vote and volunteer for live music events. At the Positivity Park, meet Carbon Shredders, Green Ambassadors and the Bonnaroo Census. Take time between your favorite shows to learn about Bonnaroo’s renewable energy and sustainability front and how you can make a difference with things like reducing your carbon footprint. While basking in the sun, the festival wouldn’t be the same without free Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Caramel Buzz!
Bonnaroo invites everyone to work or volunteer for Clean Vibes, a nonprofit group helping inform Bonnaroovians on reducing, reusing and recycling. Cans, cups, bottles and cigarette butts can be traded in for prizes at the Clean Vibes trading post. Over the past 12 years, Clean Vibes has stopped more than four million pounds of recyclable and compostable festival material from entering landfills. To volunteer at the event, visit bonnaroo.com/get-involved/volunteers.
Bonnaroo Works Fund presents the 2015 Silent Auction, created in 2009. This fund helps regional and national organizations maintain areas of the arts, education, and environmental sustainability in surrounding areas of Middle Tennessee including Manchester and Coffee County with the support of about 100 organizations. (Click here for a complete list). Bonnaroo Works Fund has also helped disaster relief, assisting in cleanup after the Nashville floods and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Local community organizations are also invited to raise funds by participating in the festival, where Bonnaroo will donate a portion of the sales in exchange for volunteer work. Get involved!
For more information on Bonnaroo, visit bonnaroo.com, https://www.facebook.com/bonnaroo, or follow on Twitter and Instagram @Bonnaroo.
