About
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a legendary multi-genre music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. With its inclusive atmosphere and friendly vibe, the festival is a throwback to the free love days of the 60s.
Started in 2002, Bonnaroo has grown into one of the most recognizable festivals in the world and should be on any music fan's bucket list.
Annually curating lineups that blend mainstream appeal with jam band sensibilities, the festival presents some of the biggest artists from a wide range of genres.
About the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and produced by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a 700-acre (283 km2) farm in Manchester, Tennessee. The festival typically starts on the second Thursday in June and lasts four days. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 festival was initially postponed to September 24-27, but was ultimately cancelled altogether.
Main attractions of this festival are the multiple stages featuring live music with a diverse array of musical styles including indie rock, classic rock, world music, hip hop, jazz, Americana, bluegrass, country music, folk, gospel, reggae, pop, electronic, and other alternative music. Musical acts begin Wednesday evening for early arrivers, continued throughout the festival with performances starting each day around noon, and some stages entertaining festival goers until sunrise.
The festival began with a focus on jam bands and folk rock; it has diversified in recent years but continues to pay tribute to its roots. Notable acts have included Umphrey's McGee, Primus, Eminem, U2, Phish, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Tool, The Beach Boys, Kanye West, My Morning Jacket, Stevie Wonder, The White Stripes, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, The Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, James Brown, Wilco, Bon Iver, Arctic Monkeys, The Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson, Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, Jay Z, Bob Dylan, The Black Keys, Zac Brown Band, Dave Matthews Band, Buffalo Springfield, The Police, Arcade Fire, Jack Johnson, The Strokes, The Black Crowes, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon, ZZ Top, Dead & Company, Paramore and Widespread Panic. The festival features craftsmen and artisans selling unique products, food and drink vendors, comedy acts, silent disco, cinema experiences, and a Ferris wheel.
Bonnaroo Music Festival was largely influenced by rock concerts of the late 1960s and early 1970s, as well as the massive Phish festivals of the late 1990s. The festival is a nod to the Monterey International Pop Music Festival (1967), the Atlanta International Pop Festival (1969, 1970), and most famously the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (1969).
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, and among the 10 Best Festivals by GQ Magazine.
