Bonnaroo 2025 forced to cancel a second time due to heavy flooding
Though only one day into musical festivities, Bonaroo festival has been forced to cancel the remainder of the weekend due to severe weather.
The music and arts festival based in Manchester, Tennessee, alerted festival goers to the cancellation via a push notification from the Bonnaroo app. “We are beyond gutted, but we must make the safest decision and cancel the remainder of Bonnaroo,” the notification read.
The festival website added: “Today, the National Weather Service provided us with an updated forecast with significant and steady precipitation that will produce deteriorating camping and egress conditions in the coming days.”
Persistent rain had caused flooding, making campgrounds largely muddy and unsafe. In some cases, the grounds were inaccessible. Organisers evacuated attendees in these areas.
Attendees and organisers alike expressed their heartbreak over the forced cancellation: “We have put our hearts and souls into making this weekend the most special one of the year, and cannot express how crushed we are,” the festival team said.
On Thursday night, musician Luke Combs performed. His set included guest appearances by Miranda Lambert, Jon Bellion, and Marcus King. King also played his own set, including tributes to Sly Stone and Brian Wilson. Other performances included Wisp, the Droptines, the Lemon Twigs, Die Spitz, Daniel Donato, and the Insane Clown Posse.
Upcoming headliners Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo and Hozier will no longer be able to perform for the 80,000 people attending the festival. Rodrigo’s set was eagerly awaited, as she brought David Byrne out for her set at Governors Ball on June 7th.
This marks the second time in four years that Bonnaroo has faced a forced cancellation; in 2021, the festival was stopped before opening day after flood waters again made the grounds unfit for access. “We are going to make things right with you, and you will find refund information at the end of this message, but let’s start with the next steps,” the festival has promised.
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