Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is no stranger to severe rain and cancellations, with storms and flooding affecting two festivals in the last six years.

Last year, festival organizers cut Bonnaroo short on Friday evening after heavy rains threatened to damage festival fields and campgrounds. Bonnaroo’s Instagram account updated attendees throughout Friday about the forecast before ultimately announcing the cancellation of the rest of the weekend.

Still, Bonnaroo returns this month to Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee, for another weekend of nearly non-stop entertainment. Set for June 11-14, headliners for this year’s festival include pop-sensation Kesha, indie rock band The Strokes and newly popularized folk singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. 

This year’s forecast in Manchester shows slight chances of storms in the afternoon and evening hours of the weekend. While the threat of heavy thunderstorms is less of a worry, attendees may not stay completely dry.

“Like we typically expect this time of year across Middle Tennessee, scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible, especially during the afternoon and evening hours,” said Elijah Kirby, chief meteorologist at Southern Tennessee Weather. “Overnight lows will likely fall into the upper 60s and lower 70s.”

Bonnaroo 2026 forecast 

Festivalgoers can expect the grounds to stay hot and cloudy during daytime hours, Kirby said. A 40% to 50% chance of rain remains throughout the weekend.

• Thursday: A 40% chance of scattered showers and storms during the afternoon with partly cloudy skies and temperatures ranging between 70 and 86 degrees.
• Friday: An 80% chance of scattered showers and storms during the day with partly cloudy skies and temperatures ranging between 69 and 86 degrees. A 30% chance of rain at night.
• Saturday: A 30% chance of scattered showers and storms during the afternoon with partly cloudy skies and temperatures ranging between 69 and 87 degrees.
• Sunday: A 50% chance of scattered showers and storms during the afternoon with partly to mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 67 and 85 degrees.

One year after Bonnaroo’s weather cancellation, many concertgoers prepare for potential rain, storms and flooding. 

D.J. Horton, 26, attended Bonnaroo for the first time last year, purchasing a four-day pass. Though Horton enjoyed his experience during the first day of the festival, he was still disappointed by its abrupt end, he said.

“It was sort of a lingering sense of dread that crept in and built up as the weather got worse and worse,” Horton said. “Bonnaroo told us ‘rain or shine,’ so when the weather would clear for a bit, we had hope. Then the rain would come again and we’d lose it just that fast.”

Horton, a Tennessee native, knows how unpredictable the weather in Manchester can be, he said.

“I’m used to navigating it,” Horton said. “I typically bring three pairs of shoes, a few pairs of shorts and jeans, long sleeve and short sleeve shirts and a decent amount of socks and underwear.”

The Farm also implemented a handful of infrastructure changes in preparation for the festival, including enhanced drainage systems, turf for the grounds and new roadways. 

Though uncertainties about the weather remain, so does anticipation for the festival. Danny Dones, 45, who has attended Bonnaroo for almost two decades, looks forward to Geese’s and Weird Al Yankovic’s performances after missing Ginger Root’s set last year, he said.

Dones is confident about the Bonnaroo community’s resilience and optimism.

“One thing that never changes is that the energy is always positive, inclusive and life-affirming,” Dones said. “It’s one of the main things that keeps me coming back.”

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