Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by laughingduck on Apr 14, 2010 18:38:50 GMT -5
I am going to be driving down to my first Bonnaroo this year, and have a few questions about arriving on Wednesday. From other threads I've read about arriving early it seems they like to "punish" earlybirds by putting them in the furthest campsites from centaroo. Is the 45 minute walk really that bad? It doesn't seem so long to me... Or are there other downs to being far away? Also, does how far away you are make a difference to the noise levels at night? I'd actually prefer to be far away if it means a better sleep! Any pros/cons of being close/far would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Only if you plan on commuting allot... most of the years, we're pretty far away, but the walks are always fun. Just an inconvenience if you want to leave Centeroo midday to get some food or something.
We lucked the fuck out, this year.... 3 minute walk.
Yes, absolutely. The closer you are to the venue, the more they will try to pack you like sardines... Out in BFE, pretty much every campsite is big, but you can make yourself a big campsite if you do it right. Like unpack immediately, and be strategic about placement of tents, canopies, walkways and the such.
But, I've never felt too confined... this year we were really close, but we were also right next to the rope fence along Shakedown, so we had more than enough room with our 4 vehicles, 3 tents, and canopy.
I'd not be too concerned about it either way. It'll be a blast and you'll make the best out of whatever situation, it's the nature of camping.
You'll do plenty of walking around catching acts and exploring the fest. The hot weather and late nights will ware on you too. I prefer being closer myself... never camped far away. If you are concerned about the noise around you use ear plugs to sleep better. Also if your group is small you don't need all the space in BFE. Have fun at your 1st Roo.
Wed night BFE is far out but there are some trees out there for shade and it is quieter for sleeping. The long walk back after 16 hours of music can be a b!tch too.
^If you're talking about to the left of What Stage field and over that bridge, then I agree that walk was long as Leno. Great area though... That's where I was in 06. We got in the campgrounds at like 5 AM.
Edit: Long as "Leno" doesn't really sound endearing to the length of the trek, does it?
I loooove BFE camping. Honestly! I've come in early every year since 05. Yes, it's a further walk but a) you get to set up in the cool of the night instead of the boiling day, b) you get to chill out and have a relaxing first full day at Roo (maybe even sleep in!) and c) it is quieter and a bit sheltered by the trees.
Yes, the walk can be a bear but I only do the trip once a day, spending the whole day in Centeroo. (Please note that if you intend on bringing food in you may not get it through the gates. They technically only allow sealed bottled water and light snacks.) Plus, if you get too tired the taxis are totally worth it, especially around 4AM!!!
The area's kind of cool, too, because you tend to be surrounded by either folks who are vets who prefer the predictability of BFE camping over the crapshoot of Thursday morning entry (sounds a bit dirty, huh?) or folks who are really psyched to get to Roo ASAP.
Please note that the shortcut into What helps a lot, too, though it can be really frustrating because it is not as consistently opened as scheduled.
Actually, the walk itself isn't that bad. It's kinda fun. The first or second time. After that....brutal.
The time and energy it takes to get back and forth will sap your energy. You will definitely miss stuff if you're camped far away. That's my experience.
It's also been my experience that there are far fewer light fingered strangers with sharp knives when you end up camped further out. I don't know about BFE, but I've always been about 10-15 minutes out and have never had any site trouble. The only people I know personally, and also most of the stories I've heard of people getting their stuff taken, have involved campsites within 3-5 minutes of CenterRoo.
"We're no longer called Sonic Death Monkey. We're on the verge of becoming Kathleen Turner Overdrive, but just for tonight, we are Barry Jive and his Uptown Five. "
If I were to choose, I'd choose right up close. It's just lots more convenient to hike back to camp between sets. I found it cheaper to head to camp for an hour or two to drink a few beers and eat some food we brought rather than buying festie food, usually healthier too. And you usually have to hike home for warmer clothes before the night sets. It gets surprisingly cool after dark. The downside to up close OR anywhere near shakedown is you don't sleep because it's always loud. Last year we were in ed Rooney, three tents away from shakedown. There was never a moment that wasn't bright from the spotlight and loud from shakedown. We learned Saturday to take a blanket to centeroo in the morning. You can find shade and quiet to get those much needed zzzzs.
Post by belltwala1 on Apr 15, 2010 11:23:34 GMT -5
we camp in access camping which is really close. i like it because i can go back and forth for water and snacks and i can also get more rest. i never had a problem with the noise. i like listening to the music while im resting.
ive stayed in BFE twice and neither time did we have trees. the walk was brutal and i love to walk. the heat and dust was just about to kill me. its murder if you have to run back to camp to get something. it is funny talking to people on the way. i would usually drink a couple of waters or cokes on the way to centeroo so that i didnt have to spend as much on drinks inside roo.
If I were to choose, I'd choose right up close. It's just lots more convenient to hike back to camp between sets. I found it cheaper to head to camp for an hour or two to drink a few beers and eat some food we brought rather than buying festie food, usually healthier too. And you usually have to hike home for warmer clothes before the night sets. It gets surprisingly cool after dark. The downside to up close OR anywhere near shakedown is you don't sleep because it's always loud. Last year we were in ed Rooney, three tents away from shakedown. There was never a moment that wasn't bright from the spotlight and loud from shakedown. We learned Saturday to take a blanket to centeroo in the morning. You can find shade and quiet to get those much needed zzzzs.
I guess I have missed the "surprisingly cool" weather portion of Bonnaroo. It has always been kinda hot or very hot or hot and muggy to me.
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^Shortcut? From GA? Aside from the multiple VIP entrances, I've only known of the arch entry, and the entry near Other Tent and the arcade...
it's for peeps who get camped out in BFE near pod 1 (check your map for the pod 1 location).
they are supposed to open this enterance by noon fri-sun of the festival. i was camped near pod 1 in 06, 07 and 09.
they rarely opened this enterance on time (1pm or later most days).
they somehow always closed it on time though (11pm-midnight).
i say this year the people who opened the enterance and the people who closed the enterance in years past switch jobs.
I like your idea about having them switch. A couple of years ago I was literally showing the guy at the gate the place where it says that the gate will open one hour before the first act on What and showed him the schedule of events. He just kind of looked at me and blinked and told me the gate wasn't open yet. It was maddening.
it's for peeps who get camped out in BFE near pod 1 (check your map for the pod 1 location).
they are supposed to open this enterance by noon fri-sun of the festival. i was camped near pod 1 in 06, 07 and 09.
they rarely opened this enterance on time (1pm or later most days).
they somehow always closed it on time though (11pm-midnight).
i say this year the people who opened the enterance and the people who closed the enterance in years past switch jobs.
I like your idea about having them switch. A couple of years ago I was literally showing the guy at the gate the place where it says that the gate will open one hour before the first act on What and showed him the schedule of events. He just kind of looked at me and blinked and told me the gate wasn't open yet. It was maddening.
When it's open it's hella convenient, though...
This is why I won't camp in BFE and would rather haul my gear to TO. "Well sure we have this convenient shortcut that will save you 30 minutes of walking, but we're only going to let you use it from this time to this time and we may open it late and close it early" Fuck that.
A Thieve's Parade 2/24 Conspirator 2/26 Kevin Smith 3/11 Keller 3/17 Papadosio 3/18 JJ Grey 3/25 Bela Fleck/Edgar Meyer 3/26 Toubab Krewe 3/27 O'Death 4/11 Budos Band 4/22 EOTO 4/28 Summer Camp 5/6-29 All Good
2/5- Papadosio 3/3- MUSE 3/12- John Mayer 3/19- The Werks 3/31- Passion Pit 4/18- Ben Folds 4/20- Against Me! 6/10- Bonnaroo 6/30- Eric Clapton and Roger Daltrey
Post by c234567892 on Apr 16, 2010 14:19:10 GMT -5
my friends and I only camp in Pod 1. We get on the grounds around 11pm Wednesday night and love it. We're away from the huge crowd. We can get a little bit more sleep it seems like. And the walk in the morning is a good wake up. Walking back at 3-4am does suck but we generally made sure we made it in time for the cabs to take us back. The cabs are well worth the five bucks late at night.
I was about a 25 minute walk from Centeroo last year; my shaky memory suggests it was the Spicoli campsite, but just behind the religious types doling out the free donuts, anyway. Got a little annoying when we wanted to duck back for any reason, and was REALLY annoying when we were turned away from Centeroo with our (totally regulation!) chairs, but it wasn't too bad; we had plenty of space, friendly neighbors, and a pretty much straight shot to the Port-a-Johns. Also never saw anything resembling a security hassle in or near our campsite. I'd rather be a little closer this time around, but I can see the advantages to being just about anywhere provided they don't park you on a nasty patch of crabgrass or something.
If I were to choose, I'd choose right up close. It's just lots more convenient to hike back to camp between sets. I found it cheaper to head to camp for an hour or two to drink a few beers and eat some food we brought rather than buying festie food, usually healthier too. And you usually have to hike home for warmer clothes before the night sets. It gets surprisingly cool after dark. The downside to up close OR anywhere near shakedown is you don't sleep because it's always loud. Last year we were in ed Rooney, three tents away from shakedown. There was never a moment that wasn't bright from the spotlight and loud from shakedown. We learned Saturday to take a blanket to centeroo in the morning. You can find shade and quiet to get those much needed zzzzs.
I guess I have missed the "surprisingly cool" weather portion of Bonnaroo. It has always been kinda hot or very hot or hot and muggy to me.
I'd say downright cold. I have never brought enough warm clothes for the nighttime. Oh, it's hot all right. Mighty hot - in the day. Then you dance and get sweaty and the sun goes down or even worse, you have the sunburn chills. Bring something warm.
We had a 45 minute walk in 2005 -- way past the church. The walk was not too bad, but it really deters you from going back and getting things you might need for the night -- or else you have to miss some shows. Then, my husband started having knee pain........then the walk was over an hour......
Post by Lawn Gnome on Apr 19, 2010 14:06:36 GMT -5
First off, I don't think they're "punishing" people who show up early. They have to let the people in if they're hanging out in town as they don't want to overburden the locals. I've only camped BFE once in 5 years; the other 4 I have been reasonably close. The noise levels close in aren't bad; you can hear music late at night but it's never kept me from sleeping soundly if I need to. The walk from BFE isn't bad at all, though it does suck if you want to "run back" to camp real quick in between sets.
Basically, if you want to show up Wednesday, don't let the prospect of camping BFE keep you from doing so.
Post by phishphood on Apr 19, 2010 21:41:47 GMT -5
Yeah, camping in BFE is totally worth it. The past three years I've arrived on weds night and after the police come around walmart and tell everyone the gates are open we head on in. The line is never bad to get in, although we were searched by deputies one year. Damn random car searches. But the walk to centeroo isnt horrible and the shortcut is usually open on friday afternoon which shortens it up quite a bit. The port-o-johns were always relatively clean and I've met some cool people out there. Theres nothing like hearing people scream BBBBOOOOONNNNNAAAAAAAARRROOOOOO all night long the day before trhe fest!
Post by hibouxdufromage on Apr 19, 2010 21:42:49 GMT -5
The noise levels up close aren't bad unless it's Kanye West starting his set 5 mins after you fell asleep. When that happened I thought "IMMA BREAK THAT MOTHERFUCKERS MACBOOK AIR!!!"
Post by hibouxdufromage on Apr 19, 2010 21:48:30 GMT -5
back to topic though, camping in the james bond bfe can be a pain but it's not as bad as getting stuck in the griswold sites. It's far, brutal if it's hot, and you have to walk past where they keep the poop trucks. Proximity is energy though. The closer you're camped, the more shows you'll see. That's why I'm doin tent only this year and have done VIP a couple of times before.
Post by Lawn Gnome on Apr 19, 2010 22:16:29 GMT -5
A word about camping close. The years I've gotten reasonably close we've simply come in from the I-26 entrance. From there, it's not really logistically practical to push you to the back (though it has occurred). The likelihood of getting a "good" spot is best through that entrance.
don't listen to this nutballs who tell you it is 'fun' camping far away. our walk our first year was 45mins-1hr and last year, no more than 15mins. i saw 10 more shows and felt better overall. it makes a big difference in my opinion. you can head into centeroo earlier to catch just one show and then go back to your tent for whatever, if you want. when you are 2+ miles away, you aren't going to want to just jot back to your camp.
Post by questionablesanity on Apr 20, 2010 10:06:29 GMT -5
I agree, nights are cold. Thursday last year, we grabbed a few things and went to tent only then decided to go see some shows. When we got back to camp, we realized that we left our blankets in the car which was about a 30 min hike. We froze that first night. We ended up covering ourselves with a sarong. It's amazing how a thin piece of fabric is better than nothing at all.
I didn't have a hard time sleeping in tent only. The music was pretty loud saturday night but it wasn't too bad. The compressor from the ice truck that we camped by did keep me up a little bit until I got used to it.
Lawn Gnome, where is this I-26 that you speak of? Do you mean 24? My main advice is to not take exit 127. You will be in the NE corner (they fill from north to south) and it sucks back there.
A Thieve's Parade 2/24 Conspirator 2/26 Kevin Smith 3/11 Keller 3/17 Papadosio 3/18 JJ Grey 3/25 Bela Fleck/Edgar Meyer 3/26 Toubab Krewe 3/27 O'Death 4/11 Budos Band 4/22 EOTO 4/28 Summer Camp 5/6-29 All Good
I think 26 intersects with 70 for part of it and that may be what he's talking about. Northeast of Manchester. Continues to become route 1, from what I see on Google.
So i think for me, from Virginia, it'd be 81 -> 40 -> 1 -> 55/McMinnville Hwy or something...and go that way. I might try that. I need more confirmation though to know it's a for sure/good route, then I can at least get my dry ice up off of 40 instead of more south near Chattanooga.
