Audio By Carbonatix
Bonnaroo is cancelled. The music lasted just one full day before it was called off due to severe weather.
Some concertgoers remain completely stuck in the mud at the campground and its surrounding parking lots with no hope to get out any time soon.
Bonnaroo is a four-day annual music festival held at Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee. Founded in 2002, it always takes place on the second Thursday in June— beginning on late Wednesday evening, ending on late Sunday night. It is one of the most stylistically diverse festivals in the world with a little something for everyone, from classic rock, gospel and rap to bluegrass, electronic and jazz.
There is a significant likelihood for rain during early June in the Volunteer State. The odds of getting wet at Bonnaroo are high. However, the severity of the storms vary from a drizzle to a downpour.
This year’s weather rolled in on Friday and caused the entire festival to at first be suspended on Friday around midday. Some people created impromptu slip-and-slides and made the most of the delay.
Others decide to do some mud wrastlin’.
Most everybody was forced to hunker down as the rain picked up.
It got harder and harder throughout the afternoon.
Campsites started to flood.
The flooding just kept getting worse.
The main thoroughfares were covered by a few inches of standing water.
It reached the point of no return.
Mud was everywhere.
Torrential rains and nearby lightning ultimately proved to be too much. Bonnaroo is canceled.
Days two, three and four did not and will not go on. Everybody must go home.
As you can imagine, there was a lot of frustration with the decision and crash outs ensued.
Trying to leave Bonnaroo is a nightmare.
A large number of attendees decided to pack up their campsites as soon as the festival was cancelled.
They all hit the road at the same time, which created a nightmarish traffic jam.
Campers who decided to stay just one more night got a small taste of what could’ve been. John Summit pulled up to a random set of decks and played a full set.
Levity later joined in on the party.
It got rowdy!
John Summit and Levity did not allow the cancellation bring down the vibes— at least for a few hours. People who chose to stay overnight on Friday woke up to a disaster on Saturday. They were stuck!
I do not have a sense of just how many cars and RVs were unable to leave their campsites, but boots on the ground tell me it is a real problem. Bonnaroovians are working together to get their vehicles unstuck.
Once they are unstuck, they often need an extra push to get them back to a dry road. It’s a mess.