How to Do Bonnaroo When You're Over

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Decide which ticket works best for you and your budget.

   There are several ways you can "do Bonnaroo":
   General Admission (GA) ticket will let you stay at any of the regular camping / RV areas at Bonnaroo (or shuttle in/out of the site every day if you're staying at a motel or somewhere in town). "GA" tickets are tiered in price according to when you buy them with about a $50 discount for the same ticket if you buy it earlier rather than later.
   
   VIP camping ticket.
   
   Amenities include a private entrance with no traffic, showers, upgraded flushing toilets with attendants to keep them clean, an air conditioned VIP tent to rest in at the campground, a VIP dinner on Thursday night with a private performance, special viewing areas, and more.
   
   VIP RV ticket.
   
   These are over $3000, but you get a nice RV with everything you'll need except food waiting for you.
   
   They are conveniently located right across from Centeroo plus VIP access / seating at shows (they are the lucky people you'll see in the stage wings!).
2. 2

   Step 2: Use a good checklist to pack.

   There's a sample one below to get you started.
   
   The Bonnaroo.com website also has a good list of what to bring (and what not to bring) for both camping and being in Centeroo for the shows.
   
   Check out the tips offered by Bonnaroo’s animated character "Gary Chardonnay" on YouTube...they were detailed, informative, and fun to watch.
   
   If you forget to take or run out of something, there is a General Store in Centeroo where you can get some necessities., You may have to wait in a very long line of cars for a very long time to get into Bonnaroo and/or to get out and there are no gas stations at the Bonnaroo site...it's a farm that's been converted into a giant camping area with stages for music.
   
   You can't take extra gas with you unless you have a generator (5 gals/generator). , If you can swing it, drive to Manchester or nearby the day before the gates open, spend the night at a motel Tuesday night, get a good night’s sleep, have a nice leisurely breakfast Wednesday morning, and take the last hot shower you'll have for a while.
   
   Chattanooga to the south and Nashville to the north are within an easy hour's drive of Manchester.
   
   Get to the Bonnaroo entrance road by 2 pm or earlier.
   
   Find a place to “hang out” until the line at the Bonnaroo gate is allowed to form and the gates open.
   
   Some families who live on the road to the entrance will let you park in their yard for a healthy fee.
   
   Or you can find a spot to park in a nearby parking lot, set up a beach chair under a tree to read, play the guitar, meet and talk to people who are also waiting, and just enjoy the afternoon.
   
   NOTE:
   If you try to park on the side of the road to the entrance, one of "Manchester’s finest" will most definitely tell you to move, which can be a problem as the number of cars waiting to get in line picks up as the afternoon goes on.
   
   Keep a watchful eye on the line as it may officially start to form before the announced time. (You can tell if this is happening when there are cars slowly moving forward and no cars are coming back that are being turned away from the gate in the outbound lane).
   
   As nice as everyone going to Bonnaroo can be, even the most laid back driver can get aggravated if you try to cut in line.
   
   If the line has already formed by the time you realize it, just smile, give the “peace sign”, and ask someone nicely to let you in and it probably won’t be a problem.
   
   If that doesn't work, try offering a couple of cans of cold beer to the driver (just make sure they’re over 21) to sweeten the request.
   
   The people controlling the entrance usually make the decision to open for admission (not just letting the line start to form) at about 4 pm...3 hours before the time posted on the website.
   
   Apparently this happens almost every year so all the better to get there early.
   
   If you don't arrive early (by late Wednesday afternoon), be prepared for a long, slow line to get to the Bonnaroo gate through Friday morning.
   
   Stories of people waiting in their cars to get into the gate for "as little as" 6 hours to as long as 12 hours are common.
   
   So consider arriving early! Once you’re in the gate, you’ll be asked to get out of your car so that people can do a security check for "prohibited items".
   
   Be nice to these people, it’s a tough job going through the stuff in about 50,000 cars in the Tennessee heat! They probably won’t do much more than a quick scan to look for pets, weapons, fireworks, or an excessive number of glass bottles (all prohibited, among other things).
   
   But keep in mind that the security searchers can go through everything if they want to do that and can confiscate anything that’s on the “prohibited” list.
   
   Once you get through the security check, you’ll be directed to the admissions stations.
   
   Have your wrist bracelet ready.
   
   They will scan it and put it on you. , It helps if you've already looked at a map of the Bonnaroo campgrounds (which you can find through a Google search online) and know the camping area you want to go to.
   
   There are several specially designated camping areas for non-VIP RVs (additional charge above ticket price), tent-only camping (you'll have to carry your stuff from your vehicle to that area, but it's adjacent to Centeroo), special access camping for people with mobility impairments, family camping, and then tent + vehicle camping everywhere else.
   
   Unless you want to pretend like you’re 20 again, ask to be directed to the family camping area (usually this is at Balloon Marker #7.) It’s in reasonably close walking distance of Centeroo where everything happens and is quieter and roomier than the other camps (especially if you get there on the early side).
   
   Make a wide berth when you’re pulling in next to the car that came in before you to leave as much space as you can between your car and that one, for both your “stuff” and for a little more privacy.
   
   No matter where you camp, meeting your neighbors is part of the fun of Bonnaroo...but having a little space between them and you is a good thing.
   
   Set up your campsite quickly.
   
   You’ll have plenty of time over the next 5 days to see what’s going on at Centeroo, so go ahead and get your tent and equipment set up while it’s still light.
   
   When you're setting your tent up, notice where the sun is and set your tent up on the west side of your car to give yourself a little more time in the morning to sleep before the sun and heat wake you up and force you out of your tent! If you need help setting up, ask any of the volunteers and paid staff in your camp area (under the white canopies next to the road).
   
   They are there 24 hours a day from Wednesday through Monday and are really helpful.
   
   Once your tent is up, your air mattress is inflated, and your camping stuff is organized, sit down with a nice cold beverage and get your bearings so you’ll know how to get back to your camp, and most importantly find out where the port-a-potties and water troughs are.
   
   Leave your coolers in your car or in your tent.
   
   The blazing near-summer-solstice Tennessee sun will melt ice (including dry ice) in even the best-insulated cooler pretty quickly.
   
   A good idea is to FREEZE all of your water bottles before you leave and put them in your coolers.
   
   They don't get slushy when they melt and water down your food and they actually stay frozen pretty well for the duration if they're solidly frozen when you pack them.
   
   Plus you can take the ones that are thawing sooner to have ice cold bottled water.
   
   There are vendors on the vehicle roads in the campground areas who sell ice from large trailers for about $3.50 per 10-lb bag.
   
   Secure your stuff and your vehicle.
   
   Be sure to keep valuables in your locked car.
   
   Leave at least one car window cracked a little bit to let super-heated air vent and put up windshield shades and reflectors.
   
   If you don't, don't be surprised if your windshield cracks from 4 days in the sun and high heat in the car.
   
   Keep a spare key to your car with you or hidden in your tent.
   
   Bonnaroo security will not let AAA come into the campgrounds until Sunday night when the shows are over.
   
   There are paid and volunteer staff at tents for each camping area who can help you if you need first aid treatment or a jump start for your car, but they can’t help you if you lock your keys in the car.
   
   These people are all friendly, helpful, and definitely worth a few minutes of time to visit. , Now you're settled into your campsite you can turn your attention to everything going on over the next 4 days! There is almost non-stop entertainment going on in Centeroo from Thursday morning through late Sunday evening (although a lot of things slow down/stop between 4 am and 9 am).
   
   Go over the schedule and mark the times/places of the things you definitely want to see.
   
   Unless there’s a long break between things you want to see that would make it worth the time and effort to walk up the hill back to your campsite, it’s easier just to stay the whole day in Centeroo, > if < you’re prepared.
   
   Since you're not 20 and not willing to rough it quite as much as they do, get the right mix of things to take with you to get through a 12-hour stay at Centeroo.
   
   Recommendations: 2, 1-liter bottles (or 4 smaller bottles) of cold water.
   
   Plan on taking time to get to a water station to refill the empties between shows.
   
   It’s important to drink water steadily throughout the day so that you don’t get dehydrated.
   
   Vendors sell fresh lemonade and cold beer (about $5. each) which are nice to get occasionally.
   
   Bottled water is $2.50 for a small bottle.
   
   Some people use a “camel” backpack that you can put water in and carry like a backpack, you might like having yours colder than that.
   
   Either a hand-held misting fan or a spray (mist) bottle and something to fan with is good for cooling heated skin.
   
   You'll be amazed at how good it feels.
   
   A large beach towel to sit on.
   
   It doesn't weigh much and you can also use it to create some shade or cover up parts of your body that may be getting too much sun.
   
   A low beach chair is nice to have but it’s a bit of a pain to lug around.
   
   If you take one, use one of the portable wheeled-carriers to carry it and your other stuff.
   
   Hand towel and bandana for mopping sweat and to cover exposed body parts that may be baking in the sun.
   
   Also to get wet and put on top of your head to lower your body temp a bit.
   
   A hat with a brim to keep the top of your head from getting sunburned and to keep some of the sun off your face.
   
   Sunscreen (Do not underestimate the intensity of being in the sun all day.
   
   Going through the rest of Bonnaroo with painful sunburn will really kill the fun).
   
   Remember to re-apply, especially to the backs of your arms and tops of your feet since the sun is overhead and all of your skin that’s not covered up is getting sun throughout the day.
   
   Snacks.
   
   The vendor food is okay (everything is about $5).
   
   But if your digestive system isn’t programmed to handle jalapeno corn dogs and NY spicy pizza all day, take snacks with you like beef jerky, carrot sticks, apples, trail mix, and protein drinks.
   
   A small camera.
   
   Unless your main focus is to take photos of the Bonnaroo sights (and there are plenty!) more than listening to the music, don't take your DSLR with the good walk around zoom lens. it just adds extra weight to what you are carrying around and is generally a nuisance and could easily get stolen.
   
   Use a disposable camera, a small digital camera, or the camera on your cell phone to take snapshots.
   
   Take a ziploc bag to put your camera and your cell phone in if it rains.
   
   A charged cell phone (especially if you’re by yourself), set on “vibrate”. it's impossible to hear when bands are playing but you can feel it if it’s set on “vibrate” and keep it close to you.
   
   Text people you know there from time to time so you know where everyone is located and in case anyone needs help. (There's a phone re-charging station in Centeroo but be prepared to wait in line for at least an hour.
   
   Suggest that you sit in your car with the engine on and air conditioning running when it's hot outside and recharge it.) ID and about $50 cash.
   
   Especially if you're on your own, write down where you are parked/camped, car license number, and who to contact in case of emergency.
   
   Keep it with you where someone can find it easily.
   
   Having this info physically on you could save precious time if something happens.
   
   Don't bring your wallet with driver’s license, credit cards, all your cash, etc. in case it gets lost or stolen.
   
   Fold-up umbrella.
   
   You’ll be glad (REALLY glad!) to have it if you’re out in the sun for most of the afternoon to create some shade that you can control.
   
   Shade is limited in Centeroo, especially around the concert stages, and gets filled up very quickly.
   
   The umbrella is also useful if it rains, even if only for a few minutes.
   
   Wet-wipes and small roll of toilet paper.
   
   Expect every port-a-potty to be very messy, gross, and without toilet paper.
   
   Use the wet wipes to clean off the toilet seat and bring your own toilet paper to use.
   
   Leave plenty of time to make a pit stop as there are usually long lines of people waiting for the port-a-potties.
   
   Schedule and map that you get at the entrance gate.
   
   There are a few places that have them displayed but they’re not easy to spot.
   
   You can get really disoriented quickly when you don’t what’s playing, where it’s playing, or how to get there.
3. 3

   Step 3: Fill up your gas tank shortly before you get there.

4. 4

   Step 4: Consider arriving early!

5. 5

   Step 5: Get to the campsite.

6. 6

   Step 6: Plan your days.

Detailed Guide

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