A Short Guide to Visiting the Bonnaroo Music Festival

Bonnaroo’s roots are a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll and a lot of folk, but the massive music festival has grown to accommodate almost every breed of music lover (except maybe classical fans). For three days every June, anything goes out on the 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee: there’s waterpark fun at Splash-A-Roo, group yoga classes, food that keeps on truckin’, a beer festival, pervasive street art and graffiti, and, of course, non-stop music. The festival lends stage time to Weezy, James Blake, Janelle Monáe, Elton John, some major up and comers like Sam Smith and Danny Brown, beloved comedians and way more. There’s something for everyone at Bonnaroo, and all that’s expected is for Bonnaroovians to just chill out, ease up on the mind altering chemicals (what is this, Burning Man?) and accept the love.

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Where is it?

Located 60 miles southeast of Nashville and northwest of Chattanooga on Interstate 24, Manchester is a small city square in the middle of Tennessee. The town is mostly serviced by the Nashville International Airport, which is less than an hour by car from Manchester – there’s even a free shuttle service to Bonnaroo from Nashville. On the busy Bonnaroo weekend, some people fly into Chattanooga or even Knoxville and Atlanta and drive there. Want to help out the environment, make some friends and maybe win some prizes? Zimride is the official carpool platform for Bonnaroo and helps drivers connect with passengers, and help passengers get a ride.

Lodging options on site

Real barefoot Bonnaroovians pitch a tent or park the Winnebago. Banish the notion of hotels, because the farm is all about community. Of course, that doesn’t mean the accommodations can’t still be nice – the festival offers tent rentals that include two or four cots with standard bedding in a large weatherproof tent with windows and a tarp floor; as well as an upgraded option for VIP campers (or Glampers). Glamping tents include a queen-sized bed with appropriate bedding, a bedside table, a battery-powered lantern, a rug and a table and chairs. Those who prefer sheet metal walls can rent an RV or even just reserve a plot of land for their ride. For the Nicki Minaj’s in the house, there’s the "Roll Like A Rock Star" tour bus, which includes access to all the VIP lounges on-site and a weekend in a private luxury air-conditioned, pre-stocked tour bus (chocolate bars and flat screen TVs), three gourmet meals a day, and a golf cart service so you don’t even need to get those Louboutins dirty.

Shuttle lodging options

Visitors or first timers who might not be able to hand a non-stop three day party (which is fully understandable) can opt for one of Bonnaroo’s many hotel packages. The festival has a shuttle running from both Select Inn Hotel and Embassy Suites Hotel which is covered in their Hotel + Shuttle packages, which includes four nights’ accommodations, complimentary continental breakfast, services of Target Sport Adventures tour staff, and more.