After weeks of speculation about its future, organizers of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival have announced the music festival will be taking 2027 off.

“To our Bonnaroo Family, thank you for an epic Bonnaroo 2026,” organizers said in a statement published Friday, Aug. 21. “Our hearts are filled to the brim from the weekend that we shared in June. The Farm remains as special as ever, and for a few days, we were once again reminded of the good things in this world.”

The statement continued and said that the organizers spent a great deal of effort and money working to improve the campgrounds and Centeroo in the months leading into the 2026 festival, including improved drainage, 4.5 miles of new roadways, and 135 acres of new grass, all of which “strengthened The Farm’s resiliency to Mother Nature.”

However, with limited time to recuperate from back-to-back years of storms, including the heavy rainstorm on Sunday this year, organizers said The Farm, particularly the main venue, needs a break to rest and recover.

“So, here’s what we’ve decided: Bonnaroo will be taking a much-needed year off in 2027. This wasn’t an easy decision, and not one we take lightly, but in our hearts, we know this break will only make Bonnaroo better,” organizers said. “We hope you’ll continue radiating positivity in your community throughout the year and thank you for loving this festival as much as we do.”

The “roo-mers” about whether there were going to be 2027 dates went into gear earlier this month when Bonnaroovians noticed that nothing had been announced, since the dates have traditionally been released around July to August. Others started questioning the possibility of Bonnaroo in 2027 when CMA Fest announced it would be taking place during the second week of June next year, which is when Bonnaroo has taken place.

In a statement, Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs said Bonnaroo had been part of Manchester’s summer fabric for many years, and that June 2027 will certainly feel different without it.

“The Mayor’s Office spoke with Bonnaroo officials prior to today’s announcement and was aware of the decision,” Hobbs shared. “Out of respect for Bonnaroo and their team, we felt it was appropriate to allow them to share that news in their own time and in their own way.”

Hobbs continued, saying that regardless of anyone’s personal feelings about Bonnaroo, its absence will be a big change for the many local nonprofits and youth leagues that have worked concessions at the festival over the years.

“They put in long hours and raised money to support their programs and activities, and those opportunities have made a real difference for many organizations in our community,” Hobbs said. “That will be a loss for a lot of folks. We’ll all see what the next chapter brings.”

While the reaction online to the news has ranged from sadness to anger, Bonnaroo isn’t the only festival to go through a “fallow year”, a term defined as a planned period when land is left unplanted and uncultivated to rest and recover. The United Kingdom’s Glastonbury Festival historically takes a year off every five years to give the land, organizers and the community a break. It is currently taking its fallow year and will return in 2027.

Also, the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival announced in spring that it was taking 2026 off and would return in 2027. Organizers did not give a reason for the break, but, like Bonnaroo in recent years, Pilgrimage has faced its own challenges and cancelations due to the weather.