Bonnaroo cancels 2027 festival after repeated storm damage
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Bonnaroo organisers have announced that the music and arts festival will not take place in 2027, giving the storm-battered site at its Manchester, Tennessee, home a year to recover. The decision came after this year's festival, held in June, was hit by severe storms on its final day that forced a temporary evacuation and led to nearly a dozen sets being cancelled or delayed. It was the second consecutive year that extreme weather had disrupted the event, prompting organisers to prioritise the long-term resilience of the 700-acre venue over sticking to the usual annual schedule.
In a statement, organisers said they had already invested significant time and money ahead of the 2026 festival to strengthen the grounds, including improved drainage, 4.5 miles of new roadways and 135 acres of new grass, but that back-to-back years of storms, including a heavy rainstorm on the festival's final Sunday, meant the site needed a break to "rest and recover". Bonnaroo has now been cancelled or disrupted in four of the past seven years: called off in 2020 due to Covid-19, in 2021 due to flooding from Hurricane Ida, cut short in 2025 after a Friday-night storm evacuation, and now skipping 2027 entirely following this year's weather-hit finale. Organisers said the pause was not an easy decision but expressed confidence it would ultimately make the festival better.
- Bonnaroo festival will not be held in 2027, organisers confirmed.
- Move follows storm damage and evacuations at this year's event.
- It's the festival's fourth weather- or pandemic-related disruption since 2020.
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Bonnaroo is a large outdoor music festival held every June in Manchester, Tennessee, drawing tens of thousands of fans to a rural site known as "the Farm". It has run since 2002 and is one of the best-known events on the US summer festival circuit, but its open-air site has left it repeatedly exposed to extreme weather.
The festival has now been hit by severe storms in consecutive years: in 2025 it was cut short after just one day, and in 2026 heavy rain and lightning forced organisers to evacuate the main festival area and cancel or delay a number of performances. It has also been cancelled before, in 2020 due to Covid-19 and in 2021 because of flooding from Hurricane Ida.
Organisers have already spent money on upgrades such as improved drainage, new roadways and replanted grass to make the site more resilient. Against that backdrop, the decision to skip the 2027 event entirely reflects a choice to give the venue a full year to recover rather than attempt to hold the festival again on the current schedule.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Responsible stewardship demands prioritising the venue's long-term health after four disruptions in seven years, including severe back-to-back storms. The organisers have invested substantially in infrastructure improvements, and forcing additional use before proper recovery could compound existing damage and undermine future viability. A strategic pause allows the site to regenerate and positions Bonnaroo for sustained success.
The case against
The decision imposes substantial costs on artists, attendees and local economic stakeholders whilst sacrificing the annual event many depend upon. Weather is inherently unpredictable, and one cancelled year may not resolve underlying challenges; alternative solutions such as improved insurance, infrastructure investment, or scheduling adjustments might address resilience concerns without abandoning an entire festival year. The venue operated successfully for decades; climate volatility alone may not justify such drastic action.
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Originally published by Billboard as “Bonnaroo Organizers Announce Cancellation of 2027 Festival To Allow Storm-Battered Grounds to ‘Rest and Recover’”.