Bonnaroo 2025’s Chaotic Cancellation Prompts Refunds and Uncertainty for the Festival’s Future

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has released a new statement after event organizers canceled the annual event after just one day on June 13, 2025.

TLDR: Bonnaroo is issuing full refunds for both festival wristbands and camping after canceling the 2025 festival after only one day. Keep reading to find out from a fellow Bonnaroovian how the events of last week unfolded, including the chaos that forced the cancellation in the first place.

Delayed Entry Sets the Tone for a Rocky Start

The 2025 Bonnaroo Festival got off to a rocky start when organizers notified attendees the evening of Monday, June 9th, that campground entry, originally slated to begin at noon the next day, would be delayed. The new 2 pm gate time on Tuesday resulted in a chaotic start to the festival experience, with cars sitting at a standstill for miles along the shoulder of Northbound I-24.

Many of those festival attendees were stuck in traffic waiting for hours for the opportunity even to make it onto Bushy Branch Road to make their way to the Bonnaroo security tolls. Once through security, cars began to be staged in the Cosmic Nomad (single-day event parking) lot before being directed to their campsites. To make matters more precarious, 2025 was a near-sold-out festival with some 80,000 people expected to attend.

I can tell you from firsthand experience that things felt different this year. Parking staff seemed frazzled, and a lot of the volunteers didn't seem to have a good grasp on what they were supposed to be doing. The usual jovial Bonnaroo spirit seemed to be missing for many of the workers.

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Something Felt Off From the Beginning

For many of the rest of us, returning to the 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, felt like coming home. Time off notices had been given, gear, supplies, and food were purchased, as well as waistband and camping passes ranging from a few hundred dollars per person to several thousands, and festival goers traveled near and far to attend the annual reunion of friends, food, art, and music last week. Some by plane. Some by cross-country car rides, but none of us thought to bring a boat.

Record Rainfall Creates a Saturated Farm

Middle Tennessee had already received record-setting rainfall totals for the year before the festival gates even opened, and the forecast for the week and weekend of Bonnaroo was promising to be wet too. According to WKRN out of Nashville, the area had received nearly 22 inches of rainfall between March 1 - May 28, 2025, and the weather forecast was not looking good.

Needless to say, it was a wet start to June, and the delayed entry on Tuesday was, according to Bonnaroo, to allow them additional time to prepare the farm. Unfortunately, to many of the attendees, it did not seem as though much had been done in the way of preparations aside from a small amount of sand laid down in certain parts of the farm.

Campgrounds Fill Despite Muddy Conditions

The campgrounds continued to fill up with campers Tuesday night, with several attendees driving through the crowds, making their way along the campground's First Avenue, where a line of vendors were located. One vehicle stopped to ask for directions as they had not been directed to where to park and set up camp.

Wednesday was fairly uneventful with Where in the Woods opening up that evening, and then on Thursday, Centeroo opened to the public. The lineup on Thursday included Luke Combs, Insane Clown Posse, and Dom Dolla, just to name a few, but the real trouble began on Friday.

Weather Delays Escalate on Friday

While bands were performing soundcheck in Centeroo, the first weather delay was announced at 1:08 pm. At 1:23 pm, the outdoor venue was evacuated, and attendees were told to shelter in their vehicles. At 2:08 pm it was announced that the tolls had been closed and no additional festival traffic would be allowed onto the farm. As the afternoon went on, we continued to wait, and as the afternoon turned to evening, we again received an update about a weather delay at 5:03 pm.

Roo Vets Come Prepared and Rain or Shine, the Party Pressed On

During that time, Mother Nature unleashed more rain. For many in attendance, this was not their first Roo, and they were prepared. Tents and canopies had been waterproofed before arrival. Pool noodles had been placed to prevent canopy collapse, and everything was well staked - just in case. Rain boots and ponchos were unpacked and put on, and we waited.

Some huddled up in tents to stay dry. Others turned lemons into lemonade, making DIY slip-n-slides out of tarps, playing in the rain. There was even some good old-fashioned Tennessee mud wrestling. Others still were throwing down impromptu mix sessions, and our camp neighbors were playing popular songs on a guitar while everyone in the vicinity sang along.

From Slip-n-Slides to Song Circles: Roo Spirits Persist

It would be another two-and-a-half hours before we would receive the official notification. At 7:36 pm, it was shared on Facebook that Bonnaroo 2025 was canceled. To say that the disappointment was palpable would be an understatement. An audible "booooo" could be heard spreading across the campgrounds as the realization hit home that our time on the farm was going to be cut short. Unfortunately, there were many campers and vendors that found themselves in several inches of standing water. Because of the record rainfalls, the ground was saturated, and there simply was nowhere for the rain to go.

The Cancellation Hits and So Does the Backlash

In the official communication from event organizers, C3 Presents, a subsidiary of Live Nation, shared their heartbreak at having to cancel the festival after just a single day, and assured attendees that safety was their priority. They even went so far as to ask that attendees not in flooded campsites or ADA camping, "consider spending the night" with a promise to help get everyone out safely on Saturday. They also shared their plans for refunds - a decision that did not sit well with those in attendance, as they promised a 75% refund to 4-day wristband holders.

75% Refund Offer Sparks Fan Outrage

The cancellation announcement also came with a promise that food vendors and "all health and safety infrastructure" would remain in operation in the campgrounds. However, the stories from those who stayed overnight on the Farm paint a very different narrative.

Attendees Share Harrowing Exit Stories

Attendees took to social media, sharing photos, videos, and personal accounts of their experience. Muddy ruts that had formerly been campground firelanes held vehicles stuck in the mud, while nearby farmers came in with John Deere tractors to pull them out. Others shared horror stories of witnessing people in life-threatening need of medical care Friday night, yet no one could locate medics, and the med tents were vacant.

READ MORE: Genius Festival Tent-Staking Hack to Survive Bad Weather

What should have been a fun-filled weekend of music, ecstatic joy, and community quickly turned into a logistical nightmare. Porta potties were reportedly left in unusable conditions, handwashing stations had no soap, and there was no potable water available.  Festival goers took to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit to share their disgust at the handling of the situation. Meanwhile, only a couple more updates on social media, Saturday, June 14th, were released about exit routes and additional weather.

Silence, Then a Thank You That Missed the Mark

Other than that, the Bonnaroo social media accounts remained silent until dropping a brief statement on Tuesday, June 17th, thanking the Bonnaroovians for doing what they do best - looking out for each other and radiating positivity. In that post, Bonnaroo said they are "listening and reading every single comment."

READ MORE: Must-Know Bathroom Tips for Bonnaroo Porta Potty Survival

That thank you was not well received, and fan uproar continued. Some Roo fans signed a petition in hopes of pressuring Live Nation into giving attendees full refunds. Others made comparisons between the new Bonnaroo Infinity Stage and the 2021 tragedy in Houston at Astroworld Festival, also a Live Nation event, that was headlined by rapper Travis Scott, and resulted in the death of 10 people, according to CNN, including a 9-year-old child.

Boston Calling’s “Gap Year” Fuels Speculation

An announcement made just this morning on the official Facebook page of the Boston Calling Festival declared that event, which attracts approximately 40,000 attendees annually and is also organized by C3 Presents and Live Nation, would be taking a "gap year," with many fans speculating that the pause in the festival was linked to safety issues fans experienced in 2024 that included reports of "crowd crushing" like Astroworld. Boston Calling 2024 resulted in hundreds of medical encounters, and Sunday alone saw 412 people treated by the onsite medical team, and 13 people were sent to area hospitals, according to WGBH.

After the Boston Calling announcement this morning, Bonnaroo fans began chattering online, with some attendees saying they believed that we would see the same for our beloved field festival in Tennessee. As it turns out, they may be right.

READ MORE: A First-Timer's Guide to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

Bonnaroo Reverses Course: Full Refunds Announced

It's been four days since Bonnaroo told us they were listening, and at 4:05 pm, they announced that Bonnaroovians will now be receiving full refunds for both their festival wristbands and their camping accommodations. You can see the full statement in the Facebook post below. In addition to the refunds, they say they are still listening and are "actively discussing" an improvement plan.

As of now, future dates for Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival are in limbo as they work to bring Roovians the safe festival experience we all deserve. Keep scrolling to see fifteen of the most disastrous music festivals in history!