Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has officially been canceled after severe weather threatened the safety of performers and festivalgoers.
Held in the 700-acre farm now known as Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee, Bonnaroo is an annual four-day music festival that has featured performances from stylistically diverse artists for over 20 years. Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler the Creator and Hozier were just some of the premier performers set to take the stage at this year’s festival.
But the festivities were cut short on just the second day after severe weather – heavy rain, thunderstorms and mass flooding – ravaged the Manchester area. Known for its extensive camping experience on festival grounds, the weather conditions posed significant threats to attendees.
Bonnaroo organizers attempted to salvage the event and kept attendees updated with images of storm cells heading towards the area that were shared on the event’s Instagram account.
But after a series of severe weather threats, including lightning strikes near stage areas, attendees were urged to evacuate the main venue area, Centeroo. Centeroo and other venue areas remained closed for several hours before Bonnaroo was ultimately canceled.
The news came late in the evening on Bonnaroo’s heavily delayed second day of events, as organizers expressed their regret for having to cancel the festival in a shared Instagram post.
“Today, the National Weather Service provided us with an updated forecast with significant and steady precipitation that will produce deteriorating camping and egress conditions in the coming days,” Bonnaroo organizers said in an Instagram post. “We are beyond gutted, but we must make the safest decision and cancel the remainder of Bonnaroo.”
Bonnaroo continued to ask patience from festivalgoers as they begin the tedious evacuation process, made complicated by the severe weather conditions, and assured attendees that all attendees will receive refunds after a disappointing end to this renowned music tradition.
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