Bonnaroo is canceled this year—but it has nothing to do with the pandemic

Bonnaroo is officially canceled for 2021. We know you’re likely thinking, “Probably a wise idea, there’s a horrific variant of a deadly virus settling in.” But the decision has nothing to do with the newly resurgent COVID pandemic. You can blame it all on Hurricane Ida, who decided to ruin festivalgoers’ chances at likely attending their first music fest in over a year. In a series of tweets, Bonnaroo’s organizers explain why they had to make the decision:

“We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo. While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas, the ground is incredibly saturated on our tollbooth paths, and the campgrounds are flooded to the point that we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely. We have done everything in our power to try to keep the show moving forward, but Mother Nature has dealt us a tremendous amount of rain over the past 24 hours, and we have run out of options to try to make the event happen safely and in a way that lives up to the Bonnaroo experience.

Please find ways to safely gather with your Bonnaroo community and continue to radiate positivity during this disappointing time. WE WILL SEE YOU ON THE FARM IN JUNE 2022! All tickets purchased through Front Gate Tickets will be refunded in as little as 30 days to the original method of payment.”

Tyler, The Creator, Lizzo, Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion, Foo Fighters, and Lana Del Rey were set to headline the Tennessee-based festival. This is the second time Bonnaroo has been postponed. Back in March 2020, it was decided that Bonnaroo would return on September 24 of that year. The organizers presumably hadn’t been expecting that the pandemic would stick around for nearly two years, so it was changed to September 2-5 of 2021. Better luck next year!