After waiting out a weather delay for hours in makeshift shelters and muddy grounds, festivalgoers received news that heavy rain caused organizers to cancel Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. The announcement left many heartbroken, some trapped and a few reaping the benefits of a bad situation.
The festival at Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee, had one full day of festivities before severe weather shut the party down early Friday afternoon. Promoters plan to reimburse one-day tickets and parking passes, according to Bonnaroo’s website. Four-day admission and camping purchases will receive a 75% refund.
The refunds do not make up for travel expenses and damaged items, said Parker Reed, a ninth-time Bonnaroovian who drove 12 hours from Des Moines, Iowa.
“I don’t think it was worth it this year,” Reed said. “They’re giving out refunds to some extent, but … we paid for hotels, for gas, fun stuff that we bought that we were only able to use for two days, and some of it was ruined by the rain.”
On the other hand, local restaurants like John Brewery Company received an influx of hungry customers leaving the festival grounds early. The restaurant was “absolutely slammed,” according to manager Christian Pennington.
“We had our own little Common John-a-roo, and people were having an absolute blast here because we had live music,” Pennington said Saturday. “I think we might pull together more live music today.”
Headliners, including Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo and Hoizer, saw performances ultimately canceled. And, after much anticipation, the first-ever multiday residency from King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard was also axed.
Attendees aren’t the only ones upset about the cancellation. Samuel Guetterman, or Guetts, performed Thursday as frontman of the band Crumbsnatchers. While he and his crew were able to play to crowds, he could sympathize with those who were not able to reap the benefits of their hard work, he said.
“I bet they wanted to play,” Guetterman said. “I bet that they worked hard on their music. They probably put a lot of thought and effort and they wanted to play this weekend and they don’t get to, and that sucks.”
In an effort to boost morale, some artists chose to move Bonnaroo sets to alternate venues. Remi Wolf, who was set to host a “superjam” at the Farm, now performs Saturday night at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville.
Many festivalgoers began to leave the grounds Friday night, with some getting stuck in the mud, pushing vehicles through the sludge.
One camper, Piper Reisner, a first-time attendee, said her car battery stopped working on Wednesday. While Reisner called Bonnaroo Fire and Rescue to jumpstart her car, she began to worry she would be stranded there, she said.
“I could not stop crying this morning. I was like, ‘Are we seriously stuck here?’” Reisner said. “And it is going to rain again, and I didn’t want to be stuck in our flooded-over tent.”
As Reisner waited for her car to get fixed, the community around her cooked burgers for dinner and toasted to the end of this Bonnaroo year. She eventually returned home and didn’t let the rain dampen her spirits.
“It was a sad moment, but it was a good memory. I still had fun, it’s not like the whole entire thing was awful,” Reisner said.
Meanwhile, some festivalgoers like Reed plan on returning eventually, but many people may be rethinking their dedication to the festival.
“I don’t think it has dissuaded me from going to another [Bonnaroo], but I also recognize that I am in the top 5% of Bonnaroo-goers in terms of loyalty,” Reed said. “At this point, three Bonnaroos in the past six years have been canceled, two of them have been weather-related. So, it’s making me reevaluate how much I invest.”
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