That's a wrap! Bonnaroo music, weather and positive vibes were scorching hot for 2024 (2024)

Only a few hours into , there were proposals at the arch, newlyweds celebrating their brand new 'Roo nuptials, GWAR sightings, lots of colorful festival attire, a Ferris wheel, life-size disco ball, and the soaring temperatures pushing 100 degrees.

And that was just Thursday afternoon.

The festival weekend, although one of the hottest in the last decade according to meteorological data, was for many exactly what Medium Build's Nick Carpenter called a "vacation from real life." Bonnaroovians slept late, partied hard, dressed in their most creative festival attire, celebrated Pride, ate lots of festival food and spent the bulk of their days jamming out to their favorite bands.

Based on the weekend's temperatures, this year’s festival had an average high of 93 degrees with heat indexes stretching into triple digits in the blazing sun, hotter than any previous Bonnaroo’s average temperature for more than 10 years.

Medical workers in tents scattered across the campgrounds steadily treated heat-related illnesses throughout the weekend, among other serious medical emergencies.

Festival goers could be seen flocking to cooling stations, as well as inching their campsites over throughout the afternoon to follow any available shade as it rotated around the Farm.

During Post Malone’s Friday night set, multiple calls for medical attention could be heard interrupting the show, with the artists even pausing momentarily to allow the crowd to get help.

Attendance at the 2024 festival reached 70,000, with Saturday being a complete sell-out.

Bonnaroo music acts span genres, shows continue into the wee hours

Musical highlights of the weekend included big names like Post Malone, who closed out Friday night with special guest Nashville bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings and rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with dozens of up-and-coming and burgeoning acts across multiple stages.

Everyone from Maggie Rogers and T-Pain to Jon Batiste and Reneé Rapp packed stages and celebrated all the energy comes with playing at Bonnaroo.

Musician Gregory Alan Isakov and his band traveled to Manchester from Colorado.

"...it’s such an honor to be here. Thank you so much," he told the crowd. "We don’t tour a lot and we don’t honestly play a lot of festivals…this has been really fun."

The Dashboard Confessional EMO SuperJam saw a dozen bands sharing one stage for a two-hour set of high-energy songs from bands like Weezer, Paramore and Jimmy Eat World. At times, it was hard to hear the singers for the crowd overshadowing them with their collective voices. The crowd gathered at SuperJam more than doubled the tent space allotted for the show.

Producer and DJ Pretty Lights wins the award for the latest/earliest show as the band played a 3:30 a.m. set early Sunday morning billed as a "Sunrise Set."

Pride shone throughout the festival; celebrated at parade

While the annual festival is known for its vibrant colors and eccentric costumes, the rainbow-dyed cacophony of color reached a whole new level at Bonnaroo’s Pride Parade, which snaked its way through Outeroo with hundreds in attendance.

Beginning from the House of Yes, participants took turns dancing on stage under the glinting lights of the disco ball-strewn barn ceiling, before snaking their way through Outeroo’s maze of tents to the Where in the Woods stage.

There, the electric atmosphere only increased as attendees gathered around the shaded stage to sing, dance and mingle.

“It’s just the perfect escape,” said Nashvillian Caroline Canada, as she waved her butterfly winged-costume in the welcomed breeze. “It’s pride month, it’s wonderful. Everyone is so sweet and the energy is amazing. We look forward to this every year.”

Deep in the line of marchers, between a winged dancer and a stilt walker, Stephanie Collins danced her way through the crowd.

“I’m so excited! We got here on Tuesday and have been waiting for this event!” she said. “We drove 13-and-a-half hours from Wisconsin, and I’m feeling the love. We don’t get pride parades back by us, so this is like home for us.”

Bonnaroo spirit is alive and well once again on the Farm

Bonnaroo is known for it's theme of radiating positivity and while it would seem when 70,000 people coexist for days on a farm in Manchester, trouble wouldn't be out of the question. But what could have been heat and lack-of-sleep-induced rudeness was instead replaced with gifted mementos and strangers in passing saying "Happy Roo!"

Bonnaroovians shared hat clips that sprouted flowers or were bedazzled with jewels, animals and lots of color. Many could be seen with all sorts of things growing out of their hats. It was a "have one? give one?" policy. Once festival goer, who didn't have anything to offer in return reached in his pocket and said "I have way too many of these, so you can have one, as he held his hand up for a high-five and a smile.

So until next year, "Happy 'Roo!"

Audrey Gibbs and Angele Latham contributed to this story.