The festival was ranked in 2003 byRolling Stone magazine as one of the "50 Moments That Changed Rock & Roll",[3] "Festival of the Decade" byConsequence of Sound, and among the 10 Best Festivals byGQ.
Ashley Capps, co-founder ofAC Entertainment, developed Bonnaroo following the cancellation of the Hot Summer Nights rock music festival inKnoxville, Tennessee in 1999. Hot Summer Nights, which was a mainstay in Knoxville'sWorld's Fair Park, suspended operations permanently following construction by city officials. Capps said: "The closing of the World's Fair Park for concerts precipitated getting creative and trying to find, 'OK, if we can't do this anymore, how can we still participate in the summer outdoor concert business,' and it was from that that Bonnaroo was ultimately launched."[4] The festival was launched in 2002 by Capps,Superfly, managerCoran Capshaw and music agentChip Hooper.[5][6]
In 1999, the future site of Bonnaroo hosted the Itchycoo Park Festival (named after the songItchycoo Park bySmall Faces), considered the spiritual predecessor to Bonnaroo.[7] Inspired by the 1974Dr. John albumDesitively Bonnaroo,[8][9] the founders chose the name "Bonnaroo"—Creole slang for a really good time—for both its meaning and to honor New Orleans music.[8][9]
In 2019, after a record-breaking festival sellout, it was announced thatLive Nation was buying outSuperfly's share of Bonnaroo.[10]
The 2020 event was initially pushed back three months until September 2020, and ultimately cancelled because of health concerns surrounding theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The 2021 event was canceled due to torrential rainfall fromHurricane Ida saturating the stage area, campgrounds, and tollbooth area, and making ground conditions unsuitable for vehicle traffic.[11] In 2025, the day after its Thursday night opening, the festival was cancelled due to severe weather.[12]
Bonnaroo co-founderJonathan Mayers, who launched the festival with Superfly co-founders Kerry Black, Rick Farman, and Richard Goodstone, died on June 10, 2025, at the age of 51.[5][6][15]
By 2013, the direct and indirect economic impact of the festival since its inception was estimated at $51 million, including $2.9 million in tax revenue for the year 2012.[18]
In 2023, Bonnaroo contributed $339.8 million to the regional economy (including over $5.1 million in tax revenue), and created or supported 4,163 full-time job equivalents.[19]
Bonnaroo actively supports recycling and sustainability.[20] In 2011, A Greener Festival recognized Bonnaroo's efforts for the previous three years with an award.[21] In 2004 Bonnaroo said it prevented having to collect 120 tons of trash by encouraging fans to recycle. Food and drink are sold in organic and recyclable materials to create less waste.[22] AGF auditors review festivals, as well as requiring their self-evaluation.[21] As of late, Bonnaroo has initiated many "green" activities during the festival, such as Planet Roo.[23]
When the festival began in 2002,USA Today referred to Bonnaroo as "the culmination of a musical movement."[24]CNN described it as "music and subculture melted together into a pot of creative bubbling energy."[25]
In 2008, it was named "Best Festival" byRolling Stone magazine, calling it "the ultimate over-the-top summer festival".[26]The New York Times said "Bonnaroo has revolutionized the modern rock festival" in 2012,[27]Spin called it the "best festival of the summer",[28] andThe Recording Academy has named it "the pinnacle of summer music festivals".[29]Billboard named Bonnaroo the 8th best music festival in 2022.[30]
Bonnaroo has been referred to as "theGlastonbury Festival of the United States" based on its similarities to the massive British festival, which, like Bonnaroo, includes camping, a sense of community, and a large farmground location.[31]
Which Stage at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
Bonnaroo has various stages in the venue area (called "Centeroo") and in the campground area (called "Outeroo").[32] Centeroo stages include the What Stage, Which Stage, That Tent, This Tent, and The Other Stage (previously "The Other Tent", but changed to a full stage to accommodate the growth ofEDM at the festival).[33] Outeroo stages in the campgrounds vary year-to-year, but has included a Where in the Woods Stage since 2018, which exclusively offers electronic music shows during late night hours.[34] The biggest stage that headliners appear on, the What Stage, can accommodate up to 80,000 fans.[35]
R&B singerD'Angelo marked his return to American stages for the first time in over 12 years[36] on June 9, 2012, with a surprise performance at the festival's annual Superjam. He was backed by members of the R&B collective theSoulquarians, most notablyQuestlove,James Poyser andPino Palladino, with guest guitaristJesse Johnson. The set was composed almost entirely of covers.[37]
In 2009, theBeastie Boys played their final show at the festival.[38]
Graffiti by Nashville artist Ryan McCauley on the Graffiti Wall, which separates Centeroo from the campsites.
In addition to music, Bonnaroo offered comedy and cinema in a dedicated tent. The tent was removed in 2008.
Bonnaroo offers various artistic, environmental, and community activities throughout the weekend in both Centeroo and Outeroo. These activities include parades, dance shows, yoga, sustainability lessons, a 5k run, a marriage barn, a water slide, vendor markets, and more.[39]
