Taking a break.
Bonnaroo announced today that the annual festival will not return in 2027, for what organizers call a “much-needed year off” after several issues in past years.
The four-day festival held in Manchester, Tennessee has been canceled three times in the past six years: In 2020 it was obviously canceled due to COVID, and in 2021 the festival was pushed back to September before ultimately being canceled due to flooding. Then in 2025, Bonnaroo was canceled after just one day due to weather and flooding, leaving many to question whether the festival would even return in 2026.
Ultimately organizers decided to return this year, and while the festival was ultimately able to complete its four-day run, several performances were canceled due to heavy rain that left fans once again frustrated at their experience.
The fact that the festival was (mostly) successful this year led many to assume festival organizers would feel comfortable running it back in 2027. But instead of sending out an update about Bonnaroo returning next year, the only thing that organizers sent out after this past June’s event was a survey asking if participants would be more likely to go to Bonnaroo if it was in September.
Over the past few days, with no updates and no word on 2027, fans became concerned that the festival may not be returning at all. And today, organizers made it official by confirming that Bonnaroo would be taking a year off.
In a message posted to their website, organizers cited heavy rain the past two years and needing to take a year off to regroup:
“As you know, we spent a great deal of effort and money working to improve the campgrounds and Centeroo in the months leading into the 2026 festival. That included improved drainage, 4.5 miles of new roadways and 135 acres of new grass, all which strengthened The Farm’s resiliency to Mother Nature. With limited time to recuperate from back to back years of storms, including the heavy rainstorm on Sunday this year, The Farm, particularly the main venue, needs a break to rest and recover.”
Of course with so many festivals disappearing lately, the decision to take a year off does raise the question of whether this is the end for Bonnaroo or whether the break is truly temporary. But organizers seem to indicate a desire to bring the festival back in the future:
“So, here’s what we’ve decided: Bonnaroo will be taking a much-needed year off in 2027.
This wasn’t an easy decision, and not one we take lightly, but in our hearts, we know this break will only make Bonnaroo better.
We hope you’ll continue radiating positivity in your community throughout the year and thank you for loving this festival as much as we do.”
I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether it truly is a one-year hiatus, or whether the festival will ultimately return in 2028 after being held annually since 2002. It wasn’t until 2020 that Bonnaroo had to cancel for the first time (along with every other music festival that year), so this seems to be a relatively new phenomenon, but whether it’s one that they’ll be able to overcome is yet to be seen.
Until then, I guess CMA Fest is the only alternative in the area if you’re looking for a music festival that weekend.
