Sporting an eye-catching sparkly top and a pride flag tied around her wrist, Susan Sloat fits in amongst the rowdy fans, booming musical performances and flamboyant fashion at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.
But unlike most in the crowds of college-aged festivalgoers, she is 65 years old.
This is Sloat’s fifteenth year attending the festival, where she camps annually with a group of six from Nashville.
Sloat represents an older generation of ‘Roovians attends the festival every year with decades of experience under their belt. Whether showing up to enjoy legacy acts or discovering new music, the positive atmosphere of The Farm remains the same for fans of all ages.
“There’s no place like it,” Sloat said. “We have a good time every year.”
Here for the music
Tennessee natives Mary and Peter Emanuel, 62 and 59, respectively, have been loyal pilgrims to The Farm for seven years. The couple’s three daughters, now in their late 20s, came to the festival for years, eventually inspiring their parents to attend.
The Emanuels’ favorite 2026 artists so far were Friday’s breakout acts Wet Leg and YUNGBLUD, Peter Emanuel said. Listening to new artists they’ve never heard before and discovering stars in the making is what makes their experience so memorable for them, he said.
“Our kids help us a lot,” Peter Emanuel said. “They will give us people to try and listen to and just [ask] ‘What did you guys think of those acts?’”
A cherished community of people from all over the country singing and dancing together for a weekend full of everyone’s favorite artists is the biggest reason Mary Emanuel loves Bonnaroo. She said that having an experience beyond the music is what makes Roo “one family.”
“[Bonnaroo] helps give me hope in a tangible way,” she said. “I know ‘Roo isn’t perfect – now more than ever I need hope.”
Bonnaroo is one of the few places people of all ages can enjoy, Mary Emanuel said. Even though she doesn’t know a lot about the headliners, discovery is the beauty of attending as a true ‘Roovian.
“We absolutely love it,” Mary Emanuel said. “We feel very free. And it’s nice to have a positive experience.”
Over a decade of ‘Roo
Karen and Harry Smith, both 57, have attended Bonnaroo for 17 years. Although they are part of an atypical demographic, they remain “unbothered” when it comes to the lineup, Karen Smith said.
Mountain Grass Unit and YUNGBLUD are two acts they’ve enjoyed watching for the first time, she said.
The couple gets to experience the best of both worlds by attending the festival with their daughter-in-law every year. From rock to bluegrass, country or EDM, genre doesn’t matter to the couple, Harry Smith said.
If everyone could get along like the Bonnaroo community, the world would be a better place, Karen Smith said.
“The people who talk bad about Bonnaroo are people who have never been to Bonnaroo,” she said.
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