Bonnaroo, one of the nation’s premiere summer music festivals has been wiped out by severe weather. But not before history was made there.
The yearly festival in Manchester, Tennessee near Nashville has been going strong for nearly a quarter of a century. But its farm setting means stages are set up in massive fields that quickly turn to mud in the rain. Which meant ultimately the set up was no match for Mother Nature. The festival was forced to shut down Friday, the second day of the four-day festival.
A post on Bonnaroo’s Instagram account Friday morning stated, “we’ll keep it going rain or shine, but we may pause the show if safety is an issue. keep an eye on app notifications & social media for updates!.” But the weather continued to deteriorate, making that promise impossible to keep.
According to The Tennessean., the main area of the festival, called “Centeroo,” was evacuated at 1:30 p.m. Central Time Friday.
“We are beyond gutted, but we must make the safest decision and cancel the remainder of Bonnaroo,” a push alert from the festival app read.
In an Instagram post, Bonnaroo organizers expanded on the push alert, writing, “Today, the National Weather Service provided us with an updated forecast with significant and steady precipitation that will produce deteriorating camping and egress conditions in the coming days….”
“We are going to make things right with you, and you will find refund information at the end of this message, but let’s start with the next steps. The number one thing we need from the Bonnaroo community is patience.”
Luke Combs Made Bonnaroo History Before It Was Shut Down
Country icon Luke Combs made history, headlining Thursday’s kickoff of the festival. Miranda Lambert joined him on stage, surprising fans with their 2022 duet “Outrunnin’ Your Memory.”
In an Instagram post, Miranda Lambert put up a video of their performance writing, “Last night at @bonnaroo with @lukecombs. Thanks for sharing your stage Luke and congrats on being the first country artist to headline the festival 🤠🩵”
Combs recently announced his intention to only play music festivals this year, rather than staging his own tour. The singer says he wants to spend more time at home with his young sons. In an Instagram post, he wrote, “I know we’re only doing festivals in the US this year, but I thank y’all for giving me the opportunity to change things up and not do my own tour while still knowing how much y’all mean to me.
I just want to be home as much as I can where I can see my boys grow up and them know how important they are to me.”
Bonnaroo Was Set to Feature Big Names on Remaining Three Days
Loyal “Bonnaroovians,” as regular attendees of the yearly festival call themselves, were poised to see headliners Tyler the Creator Friday night, Olivia Rodrigo Saturday Night and Hozier Sunday night. More then 150 acts were scheduled across the festival’s six stages.
Bonnaroo’s Instagram post specifies that all one-day passes for Friday, Saturday and Sunday will receive a full refund in 30-days or less. Holders of 4-day passes will receive a 75% refund.
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Bonnaroo BUST: Weather Wipes Out Premiere Music Fest