In past years, Bonnaroo has announced its artist lineup for its next year's festival a whole year before festival goers head to The Farm in Manchester, Tennessee, for multiple days of music and art.
However, while Bonnaroo announced its 2026 dates in July of 2025, it is now August of 2026 and there are no planned dates for the 2027 festival.
"The What" podcast, which centers entirely on Bonnaroo, music festival culture and live music, discussed why there were no 2027 dates yet during a recent episode. "The What" began in 2018 and has grown over the years to be a source for insider information, the hosts have had organizers on as guests.
One of the show's hosts, Barry Courter, who was a reporter with the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 37 years
as a features and entertainment writer and has interviewed hundreds of artists, said he asked Bonnaroo officials why dates hadn't been shared yet.
"I did ask officially. I asked through the channels, I went all the way to the top and they just because they're dealing with other stuff is what I was told. They just don't have them yet. So read into that what you want, but yes, we don't have dates," Courter said.
Speculation about the future of Bonnaroo continued when Festive Owl made an ominous X post about the 2027 dates.
Having long been considered a source of inside knowledge on festival news, Festive Owl has work directly with Bonnaroo in recent years, organizing a daily "Find the Owl" scavenger hunt during the festival that rewards fans with prizes including VIP upgrades.
When asked about the rumors and lack of 2027 Bonnaroo dates on X, Festive Owl responded, "So — I’ll have something on this soon, hopefully by the end of the week. And I completely understand the anxiety around all of this for many people."
"Just needed to get all the ducks (Owls) in a row before saying anything. But some clarity and further details are on the horizon," the post went on to say.
What to know about Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo was co-founded by Knoxville native Ashley Capps through his company AC Entertainment, which he left in 2022 after selling it to Live Nation. Bonnaroo began in 2002 and the festival occurred every year until its first cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 festival weas postponed to September 2021, then canceled again due to heavy rain and floods from Hurricane Ida.
In 2025 Bonnaroo was canceled againdue to severe weather conditions, this time mid-festival and forcing 80,00 fans to pack up and leave on the second day of the festival.
Heavy rain was predicted prior to 2026 Bonnaroo, but festival organizers had reportedly spent millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements to The Farm in order to help it withstand severe weather conditions.
Afton Pratt covers trending news for The Knoxville News Sentinel and Tennessee. She can be reached at ampratt@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: No Bonnaroo in 2027? Rumors are swirling amid a lack of festival dates
