Bonnaroo Won't Return in 2027, Citing Recurring Weather Issues

Music fans received some sad news last week when the organizers of Bonnaroo announced that there will be no 2027 show. What are the reasons for the cancellation? Here is what you need to know.

Ongoing Weather Issues Prompt Cancellation of 2027 Bonnaroo

The popular Bonnaroo music and arts festival will not go off as planned in 2027 due to concerns about damage to the grounds. The annual festival is held every year on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, bringing music fans together for a celebration of the arts.

Bonnaroo is typically held during the middle of June, running Thursday through Sunday. One of the highlights of the festival is the opportunity to camp close to the music venue, with campgrounds open from Wednesday through Monday morning.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature has put a damper on next year's festivities. Festival organizers announced on Instagram that they are going to take a year off in order to give the grounds a chance to recover. Organizers posted that "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."

Festival leaders recently invested millions of dollars to plant 135 acres of grass. The group also invested in the infrastructure around the site, creating 4.5 miles of new roads. However, severe weather has continued to put a damper on the event over the years. Just this year, a severe thunderstorm that roared through the rural area on the last day of the festival prompted evacuations of attendees and musical act cancellations.

This year was not the first that weather has forced the cancellation of some of the events. Bonnaroo 2025 lasted just one day due to heavy rain that pummeled the site and turned the grounds into a pile of mud. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prompted festival organizers to delay the festival until September in 2021. However, Hurricane Ida had other plans, eventually leading to the cancellation of that year's festival entirely.

Another Tennessee music festival, Pilgrimage, also recently announced that it was cancelling the 2026 event. Officials with Pilgrimage said that it will return to Tennessee in 2027.

The odds are not on Bonnaroo's side for better weather. The highest chance of rain in Manchester falls between June 1 and July 15.