Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
hey everybody, just wanted to let you all know that if there are any questions you have logistics-wise about bonnaroo, please feel free to ask. I was there last year and my job involves contingency planning so you can be sure that Im toiling away to make the festival as comfortable as possible for myself and my friends. I sure there are others on the board with even more festival-going experience than myself that would also be more than happy to give advice. So any questions you guys have regarding bathrooms, camping, sleeping, food, layout, etc. dont be shy, just ask! ;D
It sounds crazy early to start planning specifics for da roo but i think the more planning the better (and its also fun .
Thanks for wanting to help. I had a few questions. How much room do you typically have for a campsite? I plan on bringing two medium size tents (3-4 peeps), a 10x10 outdoor canopy, and a little cooking area around the canopy...are we gonna be pressed for space?
I also was curious about traffic? I feel that getting there early would be beneficial as far as wait time to get in as well as proximity to Centeroo. I have heard from some people however that got in super early that there camp site sucked and was really far from the stages. I planned on leaving Washington DC early evening on Wednesday and would get there late morning on Thursday. WOuld the traffic be pretty tolerable coming from that direction and time on Thursday? It would be great to get on the road early Wednesday but work obligations wont allow it. Either way I cant wait for the roooo!
I was concerned about the room for camping the last two years and it turned out to be no problem. I think it could vary considerably depending on where you end up, but the last two years I have comfortable fit a camping setup similar to the one you describe with room to spare. Just try to leave yourself a reasonable amount of room between you and the cars next to you. I think some people have had parking attendents directing them closely but in my experience the last two years we were pointed in a general direction and left to park ourselves.
When to get there: Due to the work schedules of people in my group I have left Chicago on Thursday afternoon/evening the last two years. In 2002 we hit Bonnaroo traffic around midnight (10-15 miles outside of the site) and were pitching camp around 1 or 2pm on Friday! In 2003 we hit Bonnaroo traffic around 1 or 2am but this time at the highway exit, just 1 or 2 miles away from the site. It was still a long wait, but we were pitching camp by 9 or 10am if I remember.
From talking to people at the shows and on the e-mail list it seems like there is an extremely broad range of traffic times and arrival times. I know people have waited for anywhere from 15 to 2 hours to get in, and have heard people describe long waits and short waits for all kinds of arrival times (early Thursday, late Thursday, early Friday, late Friday). It seems like if we could keep track of everyone's past experiences we could come up with some general recommendations but I also know the festival organizers make significant adjustments to the traffic flow to correct problems from the previous year. I think the best advice is to get there as early as you can, have a full tank of gas, bring your patience (and some snacks) and just go with the flow once you hit the traffic.
Yep, plenty of portopotties but you have to "hope" you hit one once the cleaning trucks have passed. The trucks clean often but they just can not keep up with the volume. They get nasty and I mean NASTY. There are certain smells in your life you will never forget - (Bourbon Street comes to mind) and the smell of walking past the portos the same time the cleaning trucks are doing their job.
If you happen to wake up early (or are still up from the night before) first thing in the morning is your best bet for finding a clean one. Also if your friends think that it would be a great idea to pitch a tent close to the portopotties for convenince sake, I would advise against it. June is a rather hot month in TN and you really don't want to be that close in the heat of the day and when the wind is blowing just right.
I would have to say the bathroom situation was probably my only negative bonnaroo experience.
The rest of the experience is so good that it makes that part even bearable!
Ok so, as far as toilets go, we had figured out the times that the truck would be cleaning the toilets closest to our camp and tried to make it then.
you should have plenty of space for your camping equipment if you plan with your neighbors, most everyone is real friendly and accomodating.
We left NYC at 7am thursday, made it to the traffic at exit 71 (i thnk it was 71) around 930-1000pm and were setting up camp by midnight, but who knows what will happen this year.
Our camp, while not the closest to centeroo, was central to much of the activity in the camps (best part besides the music) yet was still quiet enough to nap most hours of the day/night. I'd say we lucked out
just wanted to say thanks for the posts so far- im going to bonnaroo for the first time this year and i really appreciate all the info. everyone's friendly attitudes are making me almost as excited for june as the artists- aaaalmost!
I had no trouble with the portapotties near my camp for the most part. The worst potties are usually in Centeroo, so go before you go. The best ones are on the back fence line of the main concert field, but that's closed after-hours.
I had surgery for ulcerative colitis about 10 years ago and while I still have indoor plumbing, I have to "go" a lot more often than most folks. Before I started festing, I bought my "secret weapon," which is a five gallon bucket with a specially design toilet seat that fits right on top. You line the bucket with trash bags.
And NOW you know why NOBODY asks to share my tent...
In case anybody missed it on the mail list, there was a story about this family who set up the same thing as HootDaddy's bucket, except they used a sealable plastic container and put kitty litter in the trash bag which I imagine would cut down on the stank somewhat.
"We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box."
I collected ideas from people on what to bring put them all together...this is what I have come up with so far:
TP, Sunscreen, lots and lots of water, frozen gallon water jugs, enough cash for the weekend, crappy shoes/clothes, rain gear, car charger for cell phone, full tank of gas, full gas can, jumper cables, coffee!!!!!, ear plugs, bug spray....patience...am I forgetting anything?
Anyone know when tix usually sell out? I have a couple of cheesehead friends that I need to make sure get tix...
Fluffhead, your list looks pretty good, but I would qualify this item:
"crappy shoes/clothes"
It's true that if the weather is really bad you risk ruining anything you bring, but your shoes need to be good enough for you to be on your feet, dancing and walking around all weekend.
Also, the fact that camping is by your car for most people gives you a better chance of protecting your stuff if it becomes really muddy. I went to Woodstock '94 (I was 10 years younger with very different taste in music, but I think that festival kind of gets a bad rap because things went so wrong in '99) and everything I brought was trashed by mud/rain (camping was NOT by cars there). For Bonnaroo 2002 I didn't have any shoes I wanted to get ruined so I bought a couple of cheap sandles for the weekend. Bloody painful blisters resulted from this stupid thought process. Last year I just wore Birks and they held up fine in what rain and mud there was. Just be sure whatever you are wearing is broken in.
I was thinking they might have not be selling tickets at a fast rate like the years past due to ppl buying tickets at a discount rate at the gates since alot of ppl brought tickets in excess. I heard ppl were selling tickets for 30-50 at the gates. I could care less though. 185 is woth the 3-4 days and camping.
Post by BonnarooPaul on Mar 30, 2004 15:16:59 GMT -5
I went last year and wanted to see what your opinions were on this. First of all, I agree, where COMFORTABLE SHOES because you'll definitely be doing some serious walking. We got there Thursday early noonish, waited in traffic for a good 5 or 6 hours and then got in..
I hadn't gone to the first one and got what I thought was a good campsite. Easy to find because of the silo, quiet and out of the way, close(but not too close) to the restrooms and cool people. But the journey to Centeroo basically killed me. You had to make a concentrated plan on when you were going back to the campground because of the effort involved.
Anybody have any suggestions on how we can get a bit closer? We plan on leaving Wednesday night and getting there probably in the a.m.. SHould we reconsider this and get there later? I don't know what to do but this is a big issue for me as last year I missed Particle because of exhaustion from walking so far and not wanting to walk back. Thanks.
Post by tortfeasor on Mar 30, 2004 16:01:03 GMT -5
Does anyone know what the distance is from the farthest campground area to centeroo/stages? Are we talking 1 mile? 5 miles? More? I know that for some people walking 1 mile is rough -- others can do 5 miles with no problem. It's all subjective. An actual distance would be way helpful.
I would say the farthest campsites last year were within a mile. Walking at a good clip, we could make it to Centeroo within 20 minutes (not going down Shakedown street, though - that could take over an hour - but what an hour!!!)
i was wondering what the topography was like? Is the whole festival on flat ground? I know Tennessee has mountains and is hilly but I am not sure about where the roo spefically is..
Shakedown Street is a term I picked up from my days of touring with the Grateful Dead (Jerry's time). It's a strip of vendors, usually on the main path to the venue. People crowd the way due to stopping to look at and buy things. Very fun to check out, but it can be quite time consuming to use it as a travel route if you are hurring to the Centeroo.
Bonnaroo is in a farmers field - mostly flat, with a 1-2% grade at the most. No hills or valleys in the vicinity. I would check out the ariel photos on the main site for an idea of how it is laid out.
The last two year's Shakedown reminded me of the Rush song:
A Passage To Bangkok
Our first stop is in Bogota to check Colombian fields. The natives smile and pass along a sample of their yield. Sweet Jamaican pipe dreams, golden Acapulco nights. Then Morocco, and the East, fly by morning light. We're on the train to Bangkok aboard the Thailand Express, We'll hit the stops along the way, we only stop for the best.
Wreathed in smoke in Lebanon, we burn the midnight oil. The fragrance of Afghanistan rewards a long day's toil. Pulling into Katmandu, smoke rings fill the air. Perfumed by a Nepal night, The Express gets you there. We're on the train to Bangkok aboard the Thailand Express, We'll hit the stops along the way, we only stop for the best.
"We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box."
My .02 on all this... - We took an extra tent last year, our 'shit tent'. Toilet seat over bucket w/ trash bags. If you do this, kitty litter is O.K., but still use the trash bags(& dispose of properly!!) - I don't think you can control where you'll be parking. Just luck of the draw. I agree about walking being draining, but we did get there Thur. afternoon, so even if we were somewhat far away, it was still worth it. - Don't bring too much food. Vending is reasonable & plentiful, both in Centeroo and in the lot. Do bring lots & lots of water, along w/ easy to eat(and keep) snacks...dried fruit, granola bars, etc. Best way to have a light breakfast or snack. - Have plenty of tarps for shade (CANNOT have too much shade). To those of you not from the South, the humidity is oppressive! 120 degrees in Las Vegas probably feels better than 95 in Manchester. Pace yourselves. When I think of more I'll post...anyone wants more questions, email and let me know.