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!!
Just got the confirmation email for my press pass. First time going to bonnaroo also. I'm just curious as to what is included and what isn't. Is it like your average press area with food and drinks or no. What are the camping conditions? Never covered a multi-day fest, any insight would be helpful.
You will need to bring your own food and drink. There is a food tent beside the press compound, but you have to pay for what you eat and drink. They did offer a free meal and a free beer last year on one of the nights. As for camping conditions, you're going to be going GA style like everyone else, unless you work for a major media outlet or you spring for a VIP upgrade out of your own pocket or out of your company's pocket. You can read through some of the forums to find more insight into GA. It's hot camping under the Tenn. sun in June, so dress accordingly and bring some kind of shade structure (like a canopy) if possible. Since you've never covered a multi-day camping fest before, I'd suggest you bring comfortable shoes. They will be your best friend because you could have a long walk from GA to Centeroo, and once you're in Centeroo you'll be walking from stage to stage to stage all day and night trying to cover things. I generally put a ton of miles on my legs over the long weekend at 'roo. While the press pass doesn't afford you a ton of luxuries, it will enable you to hang out in the air conditioned press compound. They keep it stocked with cold water, which is a big plus. There's also press conferences, so you can get quotes from many of the musicians and comedians performing at 'roo. The compound also is wi-fi enabled, and there's plenty of electrical outlets for you to use to post stories/photos from the front lines. Another nice press perk is you can use a shortcut road/path to get from the What Stage to the Which Stage.
I've been covering the festival as press for an independent music site for seven years.
Biggest thing is to go to the press introduction / briefing. Don't try to go places / do things that you aren't supposed to do. Do be polite to security and people when they say you can't do something you actually can do.
If an artist is in the vicinity, respect the professional place you are in. If you want an interview, wait in line or ask their publicist who is usually at their side. You have a few days left to set up interviews. Look for smaller artists and email their management today to try and set up a time to speak with the artists before they go on stage. Do this by setting something up in the back area.
