There are several things always guaranteed when it comes to music festivals:
- Expensive souvenir t-shirts
- Giant turkey legs
- Lots of port-a-potties
- Someone walking on stilts
- Crazy-dancing hippie folks
- Hours of good music
If those things appeal to you (specifically the music part… or maybe the turkey leg), or if you happen to be on a Nashville vacation in the middle of June and want to change things up a bit with your Music City tour, take an hour’s drive southeast on I-24 towards Chattanooga. There you’ll find the sleepy town of Manchester, where each year its population of 8,200 increases ten-fold with the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Held June 11 – 14, this four day concert-fest, named for a New Orleans-slang term meaning “really good time,” is hosted annually at the 700-acre Great Stage Park. It’s actually more than just a really good time–so much more that Rolling Stone Magazine actually named it “Best Festival” in 2008.
Part of the reason for being so much fun is that it includes many big names from a variety of music genres, as well as an eclectic mix of diverse live bluegrass, jazz, hip hop, indie folk, gospel, reggae, country, and other acts. This year’s headliners include Phish, Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Merle Haggard, Nine Inch Nails, Erykah Badu, Wilco and Snoop Dogg, but there are also countless other acts playing music from noon until well into the next morning. The main hub of musical activity takes place on the What Stage in Centeroo, which is open 24 hours, with the other smaller venues creatively named Which Stage, Sonic Stage, This Tent, That Tent and The Other Tent.
But the good times are not just about the music. There is also a tent that exclusively caters to comedy fans, showcasing Jimmy Fallon, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, correspondents from “The Daily Show,” and a host of other stand-up acts. Bonaroo also features numerous craftsman and artisans who offer many unique collectibles, jewelry and other products, and sponsors of the festival also provide free activities for all who attend–these include an arcade, cinema, salon, baseball games, auctions and more. There are also plenty of different types of food and beverages that can be purchased from numerous vendors, including Bonnaroo’s very own Whole Foods Market.
Because it’s a four-day festival, many attenders take advantage of the camp grounds to enjoy the full schedule of all that Bonnaroo has to offer. Or you can always find a cheap hotel deal nearby. And while many might expect that such an event would leave quite a mess, there is a great emphasis placed keeping things clean with recycling and other “green” initiatives.
There’s so much to do, and especially information to learn before going, so check out www.bonnaroo.com for all the details, including buying tickets and other vacation packages.
[...] time of year is undoubtedly festival season, with events of music, arts, dancing, food, wine, crafts–heck, even watermelons–going on all around the [...]