June · Manchester, Tennessee
Bonnaroo
packing list
Your camp is part of the trip: prioritize shade, sleep, rain protection, and an easy way to keep important items dry.
At a glance
- Venue
- Great Stage Park (The Farm), Manchester, Tennessee
- Typical dates
- Four days, mid-June; no event in 2027 (storm-recovery break) — returns 2028
- Base city
- Nashville (1 hr)
- Fly into
- BNA (Nashville)
- Crowd
- ~80,000 campers
- Running
- Since 2002
- Music
- Rock, jam, electronic, hip-hop
- Format
- Camping festival
Plan at your pace
The starting list
0 of 25 packed
Clothing & weather
Comfort & safety
Use this list in four passes.
- Start with ID, ticket, payment, water, phone power, and medical basics.
- Add the festival-specific items, then adjust for camping, travel, and expected conditions.
- Use the linked official source shortly before departure to confirm bag, entry, and permitted-item policies.
- Save or print the final list after your last forecast and travel check.
The kit, checked weekly
Gear that earns its space
Every pick below is a real product we chose for Bonnaroo specifically — checked for price, rating, and availability, and re-checked weekly. Prices move; treat them as ballpark.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It never changes what we recommend.
If you buy one thing
Fanttik instant cabin tent
Sets up in about a minute — which matters when you arrive at dusk with 40,000 other people. Rainfly included.
Check price on Amazon
02
Crown Shades 10x10 pop-up canopy
Shade turns a campsite from survivable to pleasant. One-push setup, and the side wall blocks low morning sun.
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03
Gear Doctors self-inflating pad
Insulated and self-inflating. Sleep is the most underrated festival gear category — this is where the weekend is won.
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04
ANYOO reusable rain poncho
An actual poncho, not a trash bag with sleeves. Packs to nothing, covers a daypack, and survives more than one storm.
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05
Hiearcool waterproof phone pouch
Rain, dust, mud, spilled drinks — your phone survives all of it. Touchscreen works through the pouch.
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06
Ultima electrolyte packets
One stick per bottle refill on hot days. Water alone stops being enough somewhere around hour six.
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07
LHKNL rechargeable headlamp (2-pack)
Finding your tent at 2am is a hands-free job. USB-rechargeable, with a red mode that won't blind your neighbors.
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08
Rechargeable camping lanterns (2-pack)
One for the tent, one for the camp kitchen. Doubles as a site marker so your row of identical tents is findable.
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09
OneTigris packable camp chair
Packs down to water-bottle size. After eight hours on your feet, a real chair back at camp is a luxury item.
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10
Surviveware biodegradable body wipes
The closest thing to a shower at a campground. Thick, unscented, and biodegradable so you're not hauling out guilt.
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11
Loop Experience 2 earplugs
The earplugs you actually keep in. 17 dB off the volume without muffling the mix, and they don't scream 'earplugs' in photos.
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12
Protect Life mini first aid kit
100 pieces in a pouch smaller than a paperback. The med tent is for emergencies; this is for everything else.
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13
Rechargeable camping fan + lantern
The community's most-repeated tent upgrade: clips to the ceiling, runs all night, and the built-in lantern covers your camp light. A tent with moving air is ten degrees more sleepable.
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14
TICONN heavy-duty tarp
Under the tent it stops ground moisture; over the canopy it doubles the shade; over gear in a storm it saves the weekend. Ten dollars of insurance veterans never skip.
Check price on AmazonThe full kit runs about $550 — and most of it follows you to every festival after this one. Start with the top three if you’re choosing.
Pack for this place.
Expect heat, humidity, sudden rain, and muddy or uneven ground. Build the list around shelter, airflow, hydration, and a dry change of clothes. The Farm added drainage tiles, new paved and gravel access roads, and 135 acres of fresh turf ahead of the 2026 edition after a rain-forced cancellation in 2025 — real improvements, but a heavy Sunday storm still delayed sets and sent campers to shelter during 2026, and organizers are now skipping 2027 entirely to let the grounds recover further.
Bonnaroo is taking 2027 off — organizers say The Farm's main venue needs a break to recover after back-to-back storm-damaged editions — with a return confirmed for 2028. When it does run, pack your first-night camp setup at the top of the car, label your site, and make one simple hydration and meal plan before the gates open.
Rules are the final word.
Recent editions cap small clutch and fanny-pack bags at 6 x 9 inches with no more than one pocket; anything larger has to be clear and no bigger than 12 x 6 x 12 inches. Hydration packs are allowed but must arrive empty, with no more than two main compartments and one smaller one. Aerosol cans — including spray sunscreen — are barred (non-aerosol sunscreen under 3.4oz is fine), along with coolers and professional cameras or recording gear. Read the current official bag policy and allowed-items pages before you pack. Read the rules-check guide.
Dress for it.
Tennessee June is a sauna: the thinnest shirts you own, athletic shorts, and nothing you would mourn if it ends the weekend stained with farm mud. Cotton gets heavy with sweat — synthetics and linen dry faster. The full what-to-wear guide covers night layers, footwear, and the extras.
Quick answers
Bonnaroo, asked and answered
What do first-timers forget for Bonnaroo?
A rain plan. June in Tennessee delivers at least one storm most years, and a cheap poncho plus a waterproof pouch for your phone is the best insurance on this list.
Can I bring my own water to Bonnaroo?
Rules differ between the campgrounds and Centeroo, the main venue. Sealed and refillable bottles have been fine in camping areas, with stricter limits at the venue gate — the official guide has the current split.
How hot does Bonnaroo actually get?
Mid-90s with humidity is a normal June afternoon, and a tent with no shade becomes an oven by 8am. A shade structure over camp is the difference between sleeping in and giving up.
Was Bonnaroo cancelled recently?
Yes, twice in a row for weather. The 2025 edition was called off after one day when forecasters warned that steady rain would turn camping and exit roads unsafe. Ahead of 2026, The Farm added drainage tiles, new paved and gravel access roads, and 135 acres of new turf — real infrastructure, but a heavy Sunday storm still delayed sets and sent campers to shelter during the 2026 edition. Pack the rain layer and the waterproof pouch regardless of what work happens on the grounds before the next one.
Is there a Bonnaroo in 2027?
No — organizers announced Bonnaroo is taking "a much-needed year off" in 2027, saying The Farm's main venue needs time to rest and recover after back-to-back storm-damaged editions in 2025 and 2026. A return is confirmed for 2028; check the official site before booking travel around any rumored 2027 date.
What's Bonnaroo's bag policy?
Small clutch or fanny-pack bags 6 x 9 inches or smaller (one pocket max) don't need to be clear; anything bigger has to be clear and under 12 x 6 x 12 inches. Hydration packs are fine if they're empty at the gate. Aerosol sunscreen gets turned away — pack the lotion or stick instead.
Can this replace the official rules?
No. This is planning guidance; the official policy linked above controls what is permitted at your edition.