MANCHESTER, TN (WGNS) - Bonnaroo 2026 rolled through neighboring Manchester as the festival battled just about everything Mother Nature could throw at it. The event took place June 11 through June 14, with some campers leaving as late as Monday, June 15. This year, crowds topping 45,000 slogged through steady rain, traffic jams on I-24, and even a two-hour power outage that briefly froze stages and stopped the Ferris wheel midair. Everyone was safely evacuated, but the interruption added another layer to an already chaotic weekend.
Still, the spirit of the Farm did not dim. Roovians did what they do best - danced in the mud, swapped ponchos, and kept the vibe alive. This year’s headliners, including Skrillex, the American DJ and record producer, The Strokes, RÜFÜS DU SOL, and Noah Kahan, kept energy levels high despite weather delays and technical hiccups.
The storms were relentless, with daily downpours and heavy winds battering tents and tarps. For longtime festival-goers, it was impossible not to think back to 2025, when flooding forced organizers to shut down the rest of the event. This year, Bonnaroo was soggy, muddy, and difficult at times, but it held steady through the weekend.
Traffic, of course, became its own adventure. Tens of thousands of fans funneled through Exit 111, creating long backups on I-24. TDOT and local authorities worked overtime to keep vehicles moving and prevent shoulder parking from getting out of hand. As usual, law enforcement maintained a strong presence in the campgrounds. Manchester Police and Coffee County deputies ran a full operation, and the familiar list of citations began stacking up — mostly for drug possession, underage drinking, and public intoxication. Online chatter showed mixed feelings, with some festival-goers arguing that arrest numbers were used to paint Bonnaroo as unsafe, while others said undercover officers and canine units felt overly aggressive this year.
Meanwhile, the MTSU connection remained one of the festival’s most impressive behind-the-scenes stories. A decade into the partnership, students from the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment once again produced live television from the heart of the festival. Twenty-six video and film students put in roughly 60 hours of work inside MTSU’s 46-foot Mobile Production Lab- known as “the truck” - directing broadcasts, running cameras, and managing audio. MTSU produced eight shows a night from the This Stage, one of the Hulu-featured livestream stages, meaning the university handled a quarter of all telecasts.
Another ten journalism students were on the grounds as credentialed media, covering the festival like working professionals. Dean Beverly Keel said the experience was transformative, and alumni like Jo Litzenberger — now a freelance live video director who has worked global tours, including Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” tour — helped show what that training can lead to.
Bonnaroo officially wound down late Sunday night, June 14, before the monumental Monday Morning Exodus began at dawn. By noon, most campers were rolling out, inching down I-24, swapping leftover snacks, and saying their muddy goodbyes. Shopping centers and gas stations across Rutherford County likely felt the Bonnaroo bon voyage rush as travelers headed home.
Above Photos by Scott Walker (Past Bonnaroo Events) See more at SmallTownBigWorld.com
