Part of THE Bonnaroo experience begins long before you ever set foot on the Farm.
I find that there’s something special about preparing for a camping music festival. The process brings a unique level of excitement that’s difficult to put into words, but I will make an attempt! Whether you’re a first-time Bonnaroovian or a seasoned festival-goer, this experience feels relatable on both ends.
Perhaps the reason I find the process of prepping for a camping festival like Bonnaroo so special is that the preparation is essentially a creative outlet, stretching our minds a little wider and letting imagination take the lead. The anticipation for Bonnaroo begins to take form, turning into something tangible we can hold, wear, share, and carry with us.
The Creative Awakening
From making totems and trinkets to piecing together DIY outfits, the crafty possibilities start to feel endless!
In contrast to the daily obligations required of us just to exist in this society, the creative process of making things, not because we have to, but because we want to, puts my mind at ease, even if only for a little while. It gives me a small sense of autonomy while I’m making a silly bracelet. Creating feels therapeutic. Maybe it’s a reminder that the heavy things we carry can be worked through in silly ways. To an outsider, a silly totem might just look like the final product, but it’s really the result of creative labor shaped by your lived experiences. The handmade trinkets we share become a form of exchanging art through vibes and interactions, rather than monetary currency.
That same creative energy shows up in so many forms of self-expression. Sometimes it becomes a trinket passed between friends, sometimes a totem held high in a crowd, and sometimes it shows up in what we wear. I love the way DIY fashion becomes one outlet for that expression, a chance to turn ordinary pieces into something that feels entirely our own. Outfits start to look unrecognizable from their original form. Shoes get bedazzled. Shirts are braided, tied, dyed, and reimagined. Piece by piece, we create little extensions of ourselves for a weekend where self-expression runs free.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Somewhere along the way, even the logistics become an art form. Friends start engineering full campsite upgrades, building shower rigs like they’re preparing for a desert expedition. Others design physical schedule key rings to keep the chaos organized. Some bring plant cuttings to nurture throughout the weekend, a small piece of life growing alongside the music.
The possibilities feel endless, and that’s the point.
Preparing for a music festival like Bonnaroo gives us permission to create without limits.
The Group Chat Spiral
Before we even set foot on the Farm, we’re already experiencing it together.
The moment the daily schedule drops, the group chat comes alive. Messages start flooding in faster than you can read them. Screenshots, set conflicts, emotional reactions, all layered on top of each other in real time.
“There’s no way I’m missing this set!”
“Wait… what’s the plan here??”
It becomes a collective unraveling, in the best way possible. We spiral, we overthink, we try to map out the “perfect” weekend, knowing deep down that Bonnaroo has its own plans for us.
And even if you’re going solo, you’re never really alone in it.
There are solo camping groups, meetups, discord channels, entire communities built around finding connection before you even arrive. And if that’s not your vibe, that’s okay too! Bonnaroo has a way of meeting you exactly where you are… and somehow giving you exactly what you didn’t know you needed.
Artists + Day Anticipation
Long before the music starts, we begin to hear it in our heads.
We obsess over the artists we can’t miss. We build playlists for specific days, curating soundtracks for moments that haven’t happened yet. A Friday afternoon groove. A late-night bass set. A sunrise that feels like it might change something inside us.
We imagine it all.
We picture where we’ll be standing, who we’ll be with, how it might feel when that one song drops. The anticipation becomes its own experience, like we’re rehearsing joy before it arrives.
In a way, we start living Bonnaroo before it even begins… and by the time we get there, it already feels familiar.
The Realization
It’s normal to feel this kind of excitement. To count down the days. To get a little lost in the anticipation.
But somewhere in the middle of all this preparation, there’s a quieter realization waiting for us.
The prep is not separate from the experience. This is part of the experience.
The crafting, the planning, the group chat chaos, the daydreaming… it all starts to show us what actually brings us joy. Creating something out of nothing. Feeling connected to the people we’re going with, or even the ones we haven’t met yet. Getting excited over music, art, and moments we can’t fully predict.
We imagine these perfect days where everything goes exactly according to plan… where we somehow catch every set we want to see (because that’s always how it goes, right?!?)
The preparation reminds us of what we’re looking forward to feeling. And maybe, if we’re paying attention, we realize we’re already feeling pieces of it.
That’s why it hurt so much when Bonnaroo was canceled last year.
Because it’s never just the event we lose. It’s the build-up. The ritual. The shared anticipation. The shared energy. The version of ourselves that was already starting to come alive in the process.
If you haven’t read it yet, you can also check out my article on coping with a canceled Bonnaroo, “Heartbreak on the Farm.”
I know, I know… some people are still a little skeptical after last year’s cancellation. And that’s fair. But somehow, I still have faith. I’m choosing to believe in a good outcome and doing my part to radiate positivity!
So if you’re in it right now… the crafting, the planning, the spiraling, the dreaming…
Don’t rush past it.
Don’t treat it like something to “get through” before the real thing starts.
This is part of the real thing.
Because one day, you’ll look back and realize… the prep was part of the magic too.
And when we finally step onto the Farm?
It won’t feel like the beginning.
It’ll feel like coming home.
With lots of love and light,
Liezl
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