MANCHESTER, Tenn. - The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival officially opened Thursday to higher than normal temperatures and fewer than normal attendees.
With temperatures in the high 90s and heat indexes over 100, the heat is on everybody's minds.
"I'm dying," said Leisl Kondor, a nine-year Roo veteran who flew in Sunday from Seattle for the event. "I'm drinking lots of water."
Dustin Garig from Lafayette, Louisiana, drove up with two friends and said hydration backpacks are the key. And, staying in the shade as much as possible.
"We've been making sure we are hydrated before entering Centeroo, the main area where the bigger stages and most of the vendors are," Garig said. "My friend drank two full Camelbaks before we got into Centeroo."
Brad Parker, C3 Presents project manager for U.S. festivals, said in an interview before the event began that organizers had added a lot of new shade and hydration stations throughout the site, as well, and Garig noticed.
"There is more shade in Centeroo this year," he said.
Bonnaroo had sold-out crowds of 80,000 in 2019 and had sold out the 2020 and 2021 festivals before canceling because of COVID-19 in 2020 and flooding from Hurricane Ida last September. Bonnaroo doesn't release attendance numbers, but several news sources have estimated this year's attendance to be between 30,000 and 40,000.
To alleviate long lines of traffic that have backed up on Interstate 24 and the roads around Manchester in past years, organizers with C3 Presents opened the gates on Tuesday instead of Wednesday.
It made a big difference for Garig.
"It took us 20 minutes to get in, instead of the 11 hours it took in 2019," he said. "I don't know if it's just because of the smaller crowd or the Tuesday thing, but this was much better for us."
Kondor said the smaller crowds have also helped in other ways.
"I'm looking at lots of grass, and you can easily find shade," she said. "Maybe more people will be coming later when the EDM (electronic dance music) starts.
Thursday is the official beginning of the festival, when Centeroo opens. Bonnaroo has in recent years put money and effort into improving the general admission camping area with more bathrooms, showers, food options and entertainment programming.
The festival features more than 100 acts spread over more than a dozen stages throughout the 700-acre farm. The headliners aren't scheduled to start until Friday, when J. Cole plays. Tool headlines Saturday, and Stevie Nicks closes things out on Sunday night.
For Garig, the festival is about community and music.
"It's a place to see the big acts like Stevie Nicks, but also for discovering acts you've never heard of," he said. "Especially on Thursday."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Follow him on Twitter @BarryJC.