Bonnaroo organizers cancel this year’s festival, citing flooding from heavy rains

By Melissa Gray, CNN

Organizers of the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee have canceled this year’s event, citing flooding from heavy rains.

It’s the second year in a row that the festival has been called off. Last year’s event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo,” the festival wrote on its website Tuesday. “While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas, the ground is incredibly saturated on our tollbooth paths, and the campgrounds are flooded to the point that … we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely.”

The area around the festival site — a 700-acre farm in Middle Tennessee– has seen 5-7 inches of rain in the past two weeks, much of that in the past 24 hours as Tropical Storm Ida moved north, and during the previous weekend, according to CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward.

The festival was scheduled to start Thursday and run through Sunday at the festival grounds in Manchester. Media reports put attendance for the four-day event at 80,000 people, including some who camp and others who come by personal vehicle or shuttle.

Bonnaroo said it has “run out of options” to make the event happen safely.

Among those scheduled to perform were Foo Fighters, Meghan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Tame Impala, Jason Isbell, Phoebe Bridgers and Tyler, the Creator.

Many of those same acts were scheduled to perform at last year’s festival.

The festival this year was requiring attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test within the past 72 hours.

Organizers have said tickets for this year’s festival will not roll over to 2022.

The festival site is about 65 miles southeast of Nashville.

The-CNN-Wire
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