#bonnaroo tips

For those of you wondering what the RV section is like, I’ve put together a list of the highlights:

RV Campers are allowed plenty of space around the vehicle to set up a popup tent. We even had a friend set up a single-person tent to sleep in and still had lots of room.

Generators can be run all the time. Yes, it was noisy at the beginning, but by the end we were so used to the sound that it got to be almost comforting. We held out until the last day to run the A/C, however, and man did that feel good.

The RV sections are really close to the highway. It took about 30 minutes from first entering the line to the time we parked the vehicle. Leaving was also a breeze; we were out in about 10 minutes, tops.

Water trucks and dumping trucks run through the RV sections frequently throughout the day. It costs $50 to empty the RV and $50 to fill it up again. They were very helpful and took care of everything (thank God, because we had no idea how to do it). Between 4 people, we used 2 rounds of re-fills.

There were SO many different types of RVs. Decorated school buses, tricked out campers. Holy crap. We felt lame bringing in a boring old Cruise America RV!

Security and police do come through the RV sections, on horseback and on foot.

Pack games! We saw beer pong, giant jenga, cornhole, the game with the balls attached to strings that you fling at 3-runged posts (?), playing cards and kiddie pools.

Yes, you’re allowed on the top of your RV. However, Cruise America RVs do not come with a means of getting up there- so if you’re planning on doing a bit of roof-top sunbathing, invest in ladder.

Bonnaroo RV Section

Bonnaroo Shopping, Vendors & Food Trucks

Sights, Stages & Spectacles

Bonnaroo 2014 is coming up quick! In order to maximize your experience at this iconic festival you need to protect yourself from the elements, most importantly the heat which Bonnaroo has become notorious for. With these tips you can stay cool during the day & be ready to rage into the early morning—then do it all over again!

At the campsite:

Each car in your group should bring one ez up canopy to create a common hangout for the group and to shield the sun during the day.

Bring a chair for the area and nap under the shade in the early morning when your tent is too hot.

Hang tapestries or sheets from the canopy to keep your space even cooler & give it a personalized touch.

Prior to leaving for the festival freeze a case of water for your cooler, it can work as ice and also keep you hydrated in the morning.

Stop at a fruit stand on the way down and get some fresh local produce to have as a snack and for breakfast, skip the breakfast burrito and coffee (the person using the porta potty after you will thank you).

Replenish your ice each day! Each camping pod has a general store where you can buy ice each morning, take advantage and split the cost by taking turns buying it with people in your croo.

Before going into the festival for the day put a t-shirt or bandana in the cooler. It will keep you cool on your way into Centeroo especially if there’s a line (which does happen during peak hours).

Invest in battery powered fans for your tent, switch them on before you sleep so you don’t wake up in a sweaty panic.

Keep a window flap open while you’re at your camp to keep air circulating throughout the tent.

Set up a tarp under where you’re going to put your tent to keep ground heat from rising up into your tent. Also hang another tarp over your tent attached to cars or the canopies to act as a reflector.

In Centeroo:

STAY HYDRATED! Bring a canteen or camelback and take advantage of the FREE water refill station around the festival. Refill stations are also great meet up spots for groups!

Don’t run yourself down. Take some time to sit under a tree, one of the air conditioned lounges or find a tent with a spray mister in the back of the main stage! Your body will thank you when you make it to that 2 am superjam and dance your ass off. 

Take advantage of the vendors! There are smoothies, fruit, and all sorts of cool treats for you to indulge in.

Buy a wristband for unlimited waterslide rides during the weekend- because blow up adult waterslide, duh. 

I always come back from a festival with a list of things in my head that I would do different next time, and then I'm so tired, hung over, brain dead, that I don't write anything down, and then I forget.

Well, not this time.

Things to know about BONNAROO:

1. There are a bunch of places to refill water, so bring a refillable water container - preferably something that will latch onto a purse or pack so you don't have to carry it.

2. PERSONAL FANS! - whether it be a handheld you can walk in with, or a table fan to have at your site, I can't tell you how many mornings I stumbled out of the tent (that had become something closer to a sauna) to lay under the canopy with a fan directed at my face.

3. DUSTY AS SHIT. Seriously. I couldn't take deep breaths by day 2. Not awesome. Bring a hanker chief to tie around your nose and mouth. Or a gas mask. Maybe goggles. I am not even joking, if I do Bonnaroo again, I am definitely bringing a mask and goggles. I will look like a freak, no doubt, but I will be able to breath, sooooo probably worth it.

4. Bring your own toilet paper to the porta potties. Every time. Also bring your own hand sanitizer or wipes too. They clean them by spraying them down with water, sooo everything on the seat, in the urinal, on the ground, really just gets sprayed everywhere around the inside of the porta potty - this includes back onto the seat, onto that pole that sometimes acts as a balance aid, aaaand onto the hand sanitizer dispenser. Ya. Ew.

5. WAITING IN LINE FOR PORTAPOTTIES SHOULD NOT BE SINGLE FILE!!!!! Buuuut apparently that's how they do it. Sooo If you see this, go around the back and just walk into an empty stall. What happens with this single file line craziness, is that everyone only ends up going into stall that they physically see someone come out of, but there are several (if not most) that remain unoccupied until you, now the smartest of the bunch, go in. AND now everyone in that single file will watch you come out, so you have in effect actually opened up another bathroom for them! Good looking out!

6. SOLID SHOES ARE A MUST. Coachella I go barefoot the entire time, but even without the forewarned rain, the terrain is much too difficult to not wear shoes, not to mention that even with the lack of water, there still ended up being a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of swampy, dirty, sewagey areas that I was even nervous to walk NEAR. I would even recommend light boots or sneakers rather than sandals cause there is grass, sand, rock, wood, metal . . . you name it, that you are walking on...

7. The first area that you walk into when going to the stage is the MOST crowded, if you walk through this for a little bit, you will be able to get closer AND have more dancing room!

8. It is HOT AS HELL, soooo bringing in a piece of fabric or a scarf and getting the vendors to dip it in their ice is clutch. Do this, wrap it around you and for a brief moment of utter ecstasy you remember what it was like to be cold, and then you are hot again.

9. Don't lose your map/schedule. They run out.

10. People are usually pretty nice and easy going at festivals, but this is another story! EVERYONE is super social and wants to talk to you and help you out if you need it. If you are in trouble, need some water, a charger, food, beer, shade, anything . . . just ask around and probably 10 people will jump to help you out. I've never been to a festival alone before, but I feel like you could not only survive Bonnaroo by yourself, but you would leave with a hundred new festival amigos :)

11. Phones don't work. Texts are delayed. Calls take forever to get through. Have a time and a meeting spot, and keep to it. Mushroom fountain works.

12. Don't buy shirts from the inside merch tent. A TON of really awesome, super cheap shirts are sold by people at the campsite. They come to you. All sizes. Don't have to lug it around. I got an awesome shirt for $10. ya.

13. Unlike other festivals, Boannaroo goes ALL day and ALL night. Literally, bands will extend their sets for hours and all of the sudden you will notice that the sun is rising -- and you'll probably be pissed because you'll realize that you have only a couple hours left of weather cool enough to sleep in.

14. If you have to choose, better to miss Thursday than Sunday.

15. Stay hydrated. Remember to eat. Don't mix too many drugs. and be prepared to dance and sweat and dance and sweat and dance and sweat and dance and sweat . . .