The 2021 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival has been canceled due to flooding from Hurricane Ida, festival organizers announced on Tuesday. The Manchester, Tennessee, fest, which featured headlining acts like Megan Thee Stallion, Tame Impala, Lizzo, Foo Fighters, Tyler, the Creator, and others, was set to take place this weekend (Sept. 2-5).
In a statement shared on Instagram, Bonnaroo organizers said the storm's heavy rainfall waterlogged the festival grounds.
"We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo," the post read. "While this weekend's weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas, the ground is incredibly saturated on our tollbooth paths, and the campgrounds are flooded to the point that we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely.
"We have done everything in our power to try to keep the show moving forward, but Mother Nature has dealt us a tremendous amount of rain over the past 24 hours, and we have run out of options to try to make the event happen safely and in a way that lives up to the Bonnaroo experience."
This year was supposed to mark Bonnaroo's official return after it was canceled last year, like many other festivals, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Bonnaroo festival was slated to take place last June, but it was postponed to September last year and then again rescheduled to September 2021. In their Tuesday statement, festival organizers said Bonnaroo would return to Tennessee in June 2022. According to a post on the festival's website, full refunds for this year's installment will be issued to ticket holders.
"Please find ways to safely gather with your Bonnaroo community and continue to radiate positivity during this disappointing time," the post concluded.
Hurricane Ida, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression, swept through the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday and is currently headed toward the northern Mid-Atlantic.
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