Bonnaroo 2021: The Wet Road to Roo … Update: Bonnaroo Announced Cancellation of this year’s Festival

After taking a year off like many other large events did due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, Bonnaroo is back this week in Manchester, Tenn and Bonnaroovians from coast to coast and beyond are making their way back to the Farm this week.

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is generally held in June but due to the continued state of the COVID-19 Pandemic they pushed this year’s event back to Labor Day weekend with a lineup of over 150+ musicians starting Thursday, September 2nd through Sunday, September 5th. Putting on a festival during a pandemic is not an easy feat and it has been a bumpy road to roo for all those involved.

There have been many changes to this year’s festival, like new safety protocols, entry plans, and additional activities and more to do once you arrive on the farm.

Bonnaroo announced health and safety requirements of proof of fully covid-19 vaccination or a Negative COVID Test (Rapid or PCR) gotten by an official healthcare facility within 72hr of entering Centeroo. They also included information about masks being required in indoor facilities during the festival and also encouraging all those that are unvaccinated to wear mask as much as possible.

They will be providing Rapid testing for COVID-19 on site sat designated areas for $40 as well for those that may not meet that 72hr window for results to enter Centeroo.

The announcement was made shortly after festival coordinators started implementing mask protocols and proof of vaccination of negative tests during Lollapalooza in Chicago. Many other festivals that are still moving forward despite the rising cases of covid-19 have followed suit.

We were more than relieved and comforted with this news of additional safety protocols for festival staff, performers and attendees. Go get vaccinated! It saves lives!!

As Bonnaroovians head to Bonnaroo this week as the festival gates are slated to open on Wednesday, there have already been workers on the Farm for the last month getting the infrastructures and Centeroo set up. And we can say enough, how excited we are to see the new ARCH! But while the festival is all about radiating positivity, the events leading up to the start this week have been a little bit rocky.

First, the festival originally announced that they would be allowing entry starting on Tuesday this year in an effort to alleviate some of the traffic issues that have occurred in years’ past. While this seemed like fantastic news … things got a little more complicated when they also introduced specific day entry passes and implied that the entry hours each day would be from 8am – 8pm.

When we first heard this we were a bit skeptical about how they would implement this day specific entry and have been watching the Facebook groups and message boards for how attendees felt about this. The overall consensus was confusion.

BUT, no worries cause it does not really matter about entry day anymore as Bonnaroo announced yesterday that the gates would not open until Wednesday now due to the arrival of Hurricane Ida – which is a tropical storm at this point and when it will hit us – on Monday night/all day Tuesday this week. Flooding is real, scary and happens fast so we totally support their decision to delay gates. It will be interesting to see if they stick to the 8am – 8pm rule now that the extra entry day is out and also what those that have travelled long distances or are already on the road will do when they arrive and have nowhere to go.

Monday night the Roo coordinators announced on socials that full refunds would be given through Tuesday evening for those that no longer want/can attend due to Hurricane Ida as well and also explained that the camping would be at limited capacity due to the weather. Social media Roo threads were flooded with comments and concerns. While the rain will be gone by Wednesday, that is not what the concern is. It is the mud. Cars and people treading all over already soaked terrain are susceptible to getting stuck in the mud. It could turn into a real problem quick! Staff, vendors, and those already on site for setup have been sharing videos of the grounds to best aide people in their decision for refunds or to stick it out.

We are hoping for more updates on the situation later today so stay tuned!

And if you are already in Machester or are in route to the festival already: here is our list of Bonnaroo Tips & Hacks !

Bonnaroo Announced Cancellation of This Years Festival

We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo. While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas, the ground is incredibly saturated on our tollbooth paths, and the campgrounds are flooded to the point that we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely.

We have done everything in our power to try to keep the show moving forward, but Mother Nature has dealt us a tremendous amount of rain over the past 24 hours, and we have run out of options to try to make the event happen safely and in a way that lives up to the Bonnaroo experience.

Please find ways to safely gather with your Bonnaroo community and continue to radiate positivity during this disappointing time. WE WILL SEE YOU ON THE FARM IN JUNE 2022!

All tickets purchased through Front Gate Tickets will be refunded in as little as 30 days to the original method of payment.

Photo Credit: James Reagan via Facebook

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