The Bonnaroo sign – called a “squarch” by some fans – is seen prior to the festival opening day in June 2019.MANCHESTER, Tenn. – If buzz of activity all around Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee, on Wednesday is any indication of the size of the expected crowd for this weekend’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, it should be a huge event.
Whereas in recent years members of the media who showed up for the annual Wednesday walk-through were able to get access to both the main What and second-largest Which stages, this year they were not because those areas were covered up in workers doing everything from adding lighting and sound equipment to erecting fencing.
“We are very close to selling out, so buy your ticket now if you haven’t already,” the event’s Vice President of Strategic Planning Jeff Cuellar said. A sellout for Bonnaroo is 80,000 tickets, according to Ken Weinstein of Big Hassle Media, which handles publicity for the event.
Media members did however, get to see several of the additions to the nearly 700-acre site on a working farm, including the massive new LED-entry gate and the Where in the Woods area.
The former replaces the Bonnaroo Arch, which was decommissioned and burned several weeks ago after falling into disrepair. Cuellar said organizers knew after last year’s festival that it would have to be replaced because of age and deterioration.