Bonnaroo's Cancellation: A City Official on the Long-Term Vision for The Farm

Bonnaroo is taking 2027 off, and we wanted to dig into what's next. This week we're joined by David Bruce (I Am Bonnaroo) and Ryan French, a Manchester city councilman and tourism official with a front-row seat to what a fallow year actually means for the town Bonnaroo calls home. We get into the economic ripple through Manchester, why Bonnaroo is the "bell cow" for festivals far beyond itself, what a year off does to the local businesses and community that depend on it, and why our guests are hopeful about 2028 and beyond. Plus, Barry reflects on a full-circle moment: covering Bonnaroo in 2002 as a skeptical newspaper reporter, and getting quoted in Rolling Stone about its future 24 years later. Get tickets to CaveFest here! Oct 10-11, 2026 at The Caverns Listen to this week's episode here or watch it on YouTube. As always, subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get podcasts for weekly updates on Bonnaroo and festival news! ______ (00:00:00) The News, One Week Later and a Rolling Stone Shoutout (00:03:19) How We Got Here: From a 2002 "Hippie Fest" to Rolling Stone (00:20:54) David Bruce & Ryan French Join (00:27:41) Bonnaroo the "Bell Cow" and What It Means for Other Festivals (00:35:14) What a Year Off Costs Manchester (00:49:50) The Community Response and Keeping Bonnaroo Alive (01:01:08) Looking Forward and Moving Ahead (01:09:08) Reflecting on Past Cancellations (01:13:07) Mini-Roos and 2027 Events LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Rolling Stone: Bonnaroo Taking ‘Much-Needed Year Off’ in 2027 Ashley Capps Force Majeure with Jeff Becker What Bonnaroo Fans Actually Want From a Podcast Bonnaroo Cancels 2027: Our Live Reaction Catching Up with I am Bonnaroo Creator David Bruce Instagram: @iambonnaroo How Bonnaroo Changed Manchester Forever: Live from Planet Roo totemfnd.org Bonnaroo's Infamous "Squarch": The Full Story with Tim "Tuba" Smith ______ CaveFest at The Caverns, Oct 10-11, 2026 | Get Tickets Here! $20 off Hulaween 2026 GA 4-day passes with code THEWHATPODCAST 🎧 LISTEN LINKS Website: https://thewhatpodcast.com Spotify: https://thewhat.co/spotify Apple Podcasts: https://thewhat.co/applepodcasts YouTube Music: https://thewhat.co/youtubemusic Amazon Music: https://thewhat.co/amazonmusic 📱 SOCIAL LINKS Discord: https://discord.gg/zShHTeCYGn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewhatpodcast X: https://x.com/thewhat_podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhatpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhatpodcast The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission. Other music provided by Midist and used with permission. We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.