Tag: guide

Although move-in day was amazing last year, Bonnaroo didn’t officially start until Thursday. Despite what you might think, the first day of Bonnaroo is usually pretty mellow. Everyone who moved in early had a crazy time the night prior and everyone who moved in on Thursday is tired from moving in. The gates to Centeroo opened around noonish, giving attendees something to look forward to as they tried to cure hangovers and catch some delicious food before going in.

Thankfully, mellow was the name of the game for my Thursday plans. I didn’t have any shows I specifically wanted to see until 8:45 PM, which was a blessing because it allowed my girlfriend and me to wander Centeroo aimlessly for a while discovering new bands and side attractions.

We ended up seeing Frenship at the This Tent, then Flor at the On Tap Lounge, Elohim at the This Tent and Pigeons Playing Pings Pongs at the That Tent to round out the night. We saw Flor just a month or so prior in Providence at The Strand, so it was cool to see them again up close and personal. They even ended up covering a Post Malone song, much to my girlfriend’s delight. You can watch a part of that song on my Instagram below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjv1KDjHu2J/

In general, I would always suggest that a new festival goer, especially someone interested in going to Bonnaroo, set their expectations very specifically. You will never be able to see all of the bands you want to see unless you have a very limited scope. That means that you need to be flexible and willing to let things go if circumstances require it. I didn’t have much on my list of bands I “needed” to see on Thursday, yet Elohim and Pigeons ended up being two of my favorite finds from the festival so I’m glad we took things easy and explored.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkLPJj0gSdh/

For first time Bonnaroovians, here are a few tips for how to survive the first day in Centeroo without burning out or losing out on too much:

• Hold On To Your Schedule: You may be able to remember the times and stages for all of the bands you want to see, but what about everything else that’s going on? Keep your schedule handy so you can jump around from event to event without missing a beat, even if you don’t know who anyone is.
• Not All Who Wander: When all else fails, do not be afraid to wander around and get lost for a bit. The best things from Bonnaroo are born from spontaneity. You can always follow your map or signage back to where you want to be if you actually get lost.
• Food Trucks: While festival food is notoriously overpriced and under satisfying, some of the food trucks that frequent Bonnaroo buck that trend. If you can find it, grab some good grub while you listen to sweet tunes.
• Drink/Act Responsibly: Make sure you pace yourself, kiddo. This is day 1 and you have three other days to go, not to mention your trip home. You’ve got plenty of time to become a swamp donkey over the weekend. Save it for then.

Next week, I’ll cover what happened on Friday and provide some tips for how to pace yourself through a festival. If you’d be interested in reading more about my experiences traveling and visiting music festivals, feel free to shoot me a comment to let me know.

Traveling from our cabin to the local Walmart in Tennessee is part of our yearly Bonnaroo ritual. The parking lot fills to the brim with festival goers and locals alike, creating an interesting mix of hippy aesthetics clashing with the southern backdrop. If you’re not in the network of people tracking official notifications on their phones, it’s just as easy to wait in Walmart for the crowd to start moving if you want to get in the front of the line to get in on Wednesday.

In reality, what pod you end up in is kind of a crapshoot. You can do your best to get there early and line up on the highway, but there will always be people ahead of you and there will always be the chance that you will get the best spot of your life and the worst festival experience or vice versa. Shout outs to pod 10 in 2015. You should go in with the attitude that you get what you get and you make of it what you will. Any other strategy will result in disappointment eventually.

Case in point: the first thing we ran into after getting into Bonnaroo was seeing the Great Fire of 2018.

Our first impression was that we were going to have to pack up all of the things that we had just unpacked because the festival was canceled. How could a fire that big not be bad news? Well, thanks to Reddit, we found out that it was actually an automotive plant that was on fire, not Bonnaroo itself. With that mystery solved, we proceeded to unpack our stuff and set up camp.

I always suggest moving in on Wednesday if you get the chance. Not only is it less of a hassle, but you get a full day to explore the campgrounds, vendors, and the secret sets/smaller shows that pop up in the pod tents.

Last year, I spent most of the evening in the House of Yes’ barn near Pod 3. The House of Yes is a Brooklyn-based theatre production that set up in their campground venue and was promoting their dress rehearsals on Wednesday. I went in expecting a dress rehearsal and instead got one of the most entertaining experiences of the whole week. Here’s a little taste from my Instagram. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjtb8IdnQ2C/

Needless to say, Wednesday was a resounding success! Not only did we see one of the best shows of the event at the House of Yes, but we also had the chance to relax after setting up camp and enjoyed a few leisurely walks through the campgrounds. If you can take the extra day off, arriving on Wednesday will make your entire Bonnaroo experience better.

Next week, I will go over what happened on Thursday, the first official day of Bonnaroo proper. My goal is to have a post for each day of the festival and then one for our trip home.

For those curious, here are a few tips for moving in and setting up camp at Bonnaroo:

• Follow Instructions: Don’t be a jerk to the volunteer staff and always follow instructions.
• Claim Your Ground: Once your vehicle is parked, get out and unpack your biggest stuff first. This will help claim the ground around your car, just in case nearby attendees feel inclined to encroach on your space. It’s always a good idea to radiate positivity, but there are also practical things you can do to make your experience better.
• Set Up A Marker: Unless your vehicle is a giant neon orange truck, you may want to set up some sort of land mark or flag for your campsite. This will especially help at 4 AM when you and your friends are crawling back to bed.
• Check Your Exhaust: Unless you brought a separate generator, you may need to turn on your vehicle to charge batteries, etc. In that case, you want to ensure that our exhaust is not blocked or headed straight into someone else’s camp/tent. The way that Bonnaroo has been setting up camp lately, this is less of an issue, but it is always a good thing to check on just in case.
• Secure Your Valueables: Yea, yeah… radiate positivity and all, but also lock up your crap. I have been robbed at Bonnaroo before (nothing more than a few bucks, but still a bummer). Lock your valuables in your vehicle if possible.
• Get Some Rest: This is especially true if you’ve just finished a 1,500 mile road trip to Tennessee. Your legs are going to thank you for it in the long run.

If you’d be interested in reading more about my experiences traveling and visiting music festivals, feel free to shoot me a comment to let me know.