Glitter and gems sparkled under the Tennessee sun, and colorful, handmade hair clips – called sprouts – bounced from the brims of hats as thousands of music lovers arrived at Great Stage Park on Thursday.
While many music festivals have a reputation for bold fashion statements, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival attendees continue to put a one-of-a-kind spin on concert style. From animal-print outfits and tie-dye ensembles to whimsical wizard hats and frog-themed accessories, this year’s fashion trends reflected the creativity and individuality synonymous with the four-day festival.
Many veteran ‘Roovians prefer to dress practically rather than in many intricate pieces. Lillian Randall-Burdan, 25, likes to dress efficiently for the event.
“I always try to prioritize comfort and convenience because I have had a couple of festivals where I have worn the really cool-looking strappy stuff,” Randall-Burdan said. “It is always hard to go to the bathroom in between sets, and over the past few years, I have started wearing skirts because it helps me keep cool.”
One tradition to grow in popularity over the years is sharing “sprouts,” headgear that can be clipped onto clothes or hair. For her spout, Randall-Burdan showed off a leafy hair accessory.
“They are like a raving festival tradition,” Randall-Burdan said.
Exchanging sprouts is one of the many trinket-focused traditions festival-goers take part in.
“I try to keep them on me. They work as little hair clips, so sometimes I like to try and work them into my fits. Or I have them on my hat so I can trade them, or if I see someone without one, I give them one.”
Fellow Bonnarovians followed a similar theme for the festival: Magical, earth-inspired and glittery.
Rusty Chamber, 43, leans into a hippie-inspired look Thursday on The Farm. Chamber works as a contractor by day, but plans to spend his weekend working with clothing vendor Midnight Sun. Chamber primarily shops in the women’s section because of the breathability and flow of the cuts that one cannot get in the men’s section, he said. Since making this change, Chamber has fallen more in love with fashion.
“When I started working with Maria, who owns Midnight Sun, I started wearing their feminine clothing in a masculine way,” Chamber said. “And it’s so, so, so much more comfortable that now I can’t wear anything else.”
In flowy linen pants, an unbuttoned woman’s blouse and long, curly hair, Chamber lives up to his self-given nickname, “Hippie Jesus.”
This year, glitter remained a popular staple. Festival-goers covered their faces, shoulders and hair with shimmering designs that caught the light throughout the day. Colorful gemstones and metallic makeup were also common sights as attendees transformed themselves into walking works of art.
“I really wanted to go for the hippie vibe,” Bailey Anderson, 23, said. “I do love all of the glitter here.”
Others decided to take a whimsical route. In matching rainbow propeller hats, Ronnie Wright, 24, and friends stood out against the glitter and intricate outfits. Although the eight friends have different styles, the rainbow hats bring them together. They borrowed the idea from a YouTuber who uses his platform to travel.
“And he goes to all these other like, foreign countries and stuff,” Joseph Bech, 24, said. “He just talks to people, and I feel like the colorful hat invites that. So then I was like, ‘that’s really funny. I wanna do that.’”
For Wright, Bech and their friends, the hats do serve a functional purpose in the burning sun, but their goal is to bring a smile to someone’s face when they pass. They want people to stop, stare and ask because it leads to meeting new and interesting people on The Farm.
While the music may be the main attraction, Bonnaroo’s fashion culture remains an attraction of its own.
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