Picture seven hundred acres of tents and stages with thousands of people walking around on mud-caked feet, sporting sunburns, and smiles. Inside of the gates, it’s like a different world – a small society free of social judgment and demanding schedules. It’s not quiet, but there is a sense of peace. It is the music festival phenomenon that is Bonnaroo.
Since its beginnings in 2002, Bonnaroo is a music and arts festival that is held every summer on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, TN. Every year it draws 60,000-80,000 music enthusiasts together to camp for four days. The festival is constantly in motion all night and day with music, art, vendors, comedy, and interactive group performances. Inside of Centeroo, concerts are held at five different areas — “Which Stage,” “What Stage,” “This Tent,” “That Tent,” and “The Other Tent.”
The music festival has been a memorable experience for many of the Wolfpack. “By the end of the third day my feet and ankles were swollen from all the walking and standing,” said Liz Cervantes, a junior in communication media. “But no matter what stage or tent you were at, something good was playing.”
Adam Kincaid, a senior in food science and nutrition, said, “It was pretty wild. Girls were walking around topless all weekend; everyone was sharing food and drinks. It was just a huge utopian society.”
Each year, the festival integrates more genres of music to cover broader interests and bring in more people. This year’s lineup includes The Avett Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Weezer, The Flaming Lips, Regina Spektor, and more. There is a full line-up listed at bonnaroo.com.
“This year will be my third year there and I think that the line up is the best I’ve ever seen!” said Kelly Pattison, a junior in elementary education. “They always have musical legends, popular artists of today, and a few bands that you have never heard of before. Where else can you see Stevie Wonder and Kings of Leon at the same place?”
Many students are interested in going to the festival but are limited by the high cost.
“Being a huge fan of any type of music, Bonnaroo is definitely the place to be in the summer. I would go to the festival in a heartbeat if it weren’t so expensive,” said Vinny Malikasim, a sophomore in chemical engineering.
Concerts bring all kinds of surprises, both in the crowd and on the stage. MGMT’s concert last year started with an eruption of disco lights and glow sticks thrown into the crowd. During the Mars Volta concert, a random hot air balloon slowly hovered over the thousands of fans that were gathered. The Beastie Boys had surprise guest Nas come up during their performance. Janelle Monae actually brought up a blank canvas, painted a work of art during one of her songs, and gave it to a lucky member of the crowd.
At night, concertgoers don elaborate bodywear including body paint, hula-hoops, full-body spandex suits, and glow-in-the-dark robot costumes. Parades of clowns playing musical instruments circle at spontaneous times of night while the Ferris wheel and the fire show light up the grounds. Nothing ever slows down or stops, and there is something or someone interesting to watch everywhere inside the gate.
One of the most popular activity tents the Silent Disco. Dancers wear headphones that play the music rather than loud speakers blasting for the whole tent to hear. Walking by, it looks like a bunch of people jamming out to silence. Different DJs are featured every couple hours.
There is also a barn, sponsored by Fuse, which provides free power outlets and Internet access for those that can’t quite break away from technology for the whole four days.
“The best part is being able to find something entertaining almost around the clock for four days,” said Mike Alston, General Manager of WKNC. “The value far exceeded the cost of my ticket.”
