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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Let the sunshine in to power Bonnaroo

let-the-sunshine-in-to-power-bonnaroo
let-the-sunshine-in-to-power-bonnaroo
photo The giant Bonnaroo arch served as the main entrance gate for campers entering into Centeroo. In addition to the live music, Centeroo was home to a volleyball pit, giant water slide, a giant ferris wheel, a shopping area and food area.

BONNAROO EFFORTSThe festival is the nation’s only six-time recipient of the “A Greener Festival” Award, the international standard for environmentally efficient music festivals. Some of Bonnaroo’s other efforts to be green include:• Compostable food containers and cutlery• An online carpooling service that last year placed 650 fans in ride-shares to and from the festival• Aggressive recycling that has diverted more than 3 million pounds of festival waste from landfills since 2002, including more than 1 million cups, cans and bottles just since 2008Source: Bonnaroo

With the recent flip of a switch, Bonnaroo officials in Manchester, Tenn., turned on the power of the sun to energize the country’s first permanent solar array for a music festival.

The 50-kilowatt solar system covers about 5,000 square feet and will provide about 20 percent of the power needed to run the festival, according to Laura Sohn, Bonnaroo’s sustainability coordinator.

“We did it because it was the right decision to make and the fans want it,” she said.

The solar project was funded fully by “opt-in” contributions that fans select during the ticket-buying process.