Another Happy Roo
2023 brought another sell out crowd of 80,000 amazing people back to The Farm, a dramatic change from 2022 when only 50k came to Bonnaroo. While it definitely felt more crowded than last year, I never felt like it was too crowded. It was a lot harder to run into old friends without planning something in advance, but I still randomly saw almost all of my Roo friends at least once during the weekend which gave every encounter the feeling of sudden surprise to the happy homecoming.
I had very few complaints to make about Bonnaroo 2023. Most of them stem from my continued inability to acquire a photo pass. Others are nit-picky like the Arch art (around the screen) is the same as last year, the high five line was eliminated in favor of more security lines, or an individual security guard was being very slow. But The Farm continues to change and evolve every year, mostly for the better. The sound at every stage was incredible. It was hard pressed to find any areas with less than amazing sound quality. The lineup was as diverse and unique as ever (which likely drove the sell-out this year). The plazas (pods) continue to grow and create new programing options outside of Centeroo. My returning food favorites like Roti Roll, Spicy Pie, and Hattie B’s all made my taste buds salivate, then jump for joy. In short, it was awesome.
And what is Bonnaroo without the beautiful, amazing people that are Bonnaroovians.
Every one showed so much kindness. People would share supplies when someone was in need. Mosh pits would completely STOP if someone fell to the ground, before helping that person up and immediately resuming moshing. It’s easy to take for granted the community that Bonnaroo has created. But if you go to any other festival, you’ll immediately be reminded of all the things that make Roo special.
The Bonnaroo 2023 full gallery is up now here on journeywithryan.com, and I’ll continue posting more images from The Farm on my instagram, @journeywithryan. I’ll see you back here on the blog for my next adventure.
-Ryan :)
