Bonnaroo Music Festival

infobox music festival
music_festival_name =


location = Manchester, Tennessee, US, Great Stage Park
years_active= 2002 - present
dates = Mid-June
genre = Indie rock, Jam bands, Jazz, Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Gospel, Alternative rock, Hip hop, Reggae, Metal
website = [http://www.bonnaroo.com Official website]

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a four-day annual music festival, created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, first held in 2002. It was recently named “Best Festival” by Rolling Stone Magazine, calling it "the ultimate over-the-top summer festival." [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/20200609/page/23 Rolling Stone dubs Bonnaroo "Best Festival" ] ] The festival is held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre (2.8 km²) farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles southeast of Nashville, Tennessee. The main attractions of the festival are the multiple stages of live music, featuring a diverse array of musical styles including indie folk, world music, hip hop, jazz, americana, bluegrass, country music, folk, gospel, reggae, electronica, and other alternative music. The festival began with a primary focus on jam bands, but has diversified greatly in recent years. The festival features craftsmen and artisans selling unique products, food and drink vendors, and many other activities including some put on by various sponsors. Sponsors of the festival are required to provide free activities for attendees.

The main stage, named the What Stage (capacity 100,000 people) and the second stage, named the Which Stage (capacity 30,000 people) are the two main performance areas, open approximately noon to midnight CST each day of the festival.

Centeroo is a 24-hour gathering place, featuring three large music tents (This Tent, That Tent and the Other Tent), two smaller DJ tents, air-conditioned jazz, comedy, and cinema tents, the Bonnaroo Market (craft and merchandise vendors), an arcade tent, music sharing areas, and other special events. Most activities and vendors in Centeroo are open 24 hours with live music in the tents from noon to 7:30 p.m. CST and midnight to 5 a.m.

The word "Bonnaroo," popularized by New Orleans R&B giant Dr. John with his 1974 album "Desitively Bonnaroo," is a Cajun slang word meaning "a really good time." The name was chosen for its literal meaning, and also to honor the rich Louisiana music tradition that inspired the organizers' desire to provide many styles of quality live music for appreciative fans. The word "Bonnaroo" is actually a creole-French construction taken from "bon" or in this case the feminine "bonne" (french for "good") and "rue" (French for "street"). On January 10, 2007, Bonnaroo organizers Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment purchased a major portion of the site, where the annual music festival is held. The purchase of 530 acres encompassed all of the performance areas and much of the camping and parking area used for the annual festival; the festival will continue to lease another 250 acres that currently serve as additional parking and camping. Since its inception, Bonnaroo has contributed more than $1 million directly to Coffee County organizations. In addition to annual charitable contributions, the festival's activities provide annual revenue to the county. Measured in a 2005 study, the economic impact of the event on Coffee County was more than $14 million in business revenues and more than $4 million in personal income. [ http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-10-2007/0004503748&EDATE= Bonnaroo Purchases Festival Site]

In recent years, festival organizers have placed great emphasis on recycling and 'greening' efforts during the event. [ [http://www.bonnaroo.com/festival/greening-activism.aspx Greening & Activism - Bonnaroo - Festival ] ]

Bonnaroo Music Festival by year

* 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival
* 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival
* 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival
* 2005 Bonnaroo Music Festival
* 2004 Bonnaroo Music Festival
* 2003 Bonnaroo Music Festival
* 2002 Bonnaroo Music Festival

External links

* [http://www.bonnaroo.com Bonnaroo.com] Official Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival website
* [http://www.greatstagepark.com GreatStagePark.com] Official Site of Bonnaroo Property

Notes