Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 2025 announce full refund to attendees following backlash over previous statement

Organizers of the 2025 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival have updated their refund policy following criticism from attendees over how the festival's cancellation was handled. Initially offering 75% refunds after the event was shut down due to severe weather, festival organizers have now confirmed that all ticket buyers will receive a full refund via a post on Instagram on June 21, 2025.

The 4-day festival, scheduled to run from June 12 to June 15 in Manchester, Tennessee, was canceled on its second day due to flooding caused by heavy rainstorms. While the opening night went ahead with performances by artists including Luke Combs and Dom Dolla, the remainder of the event was called off due to safety concerns.

More about the initial refund policy issued by Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2025 edition of Bonnaroo began on June 12, 2025, with a lineup that included headliner Luke Combs and artists such as Dom Dolla, Insane Clown Posse, and Rebecca Black for the first day.

However, by June 13, 2025, heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms forced organizers to issue an evacuation notice and cancel the remainder of the 4-day event. Scheduled performances by Tyler, The Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, Avril Lavigne, Glass Animals, GloRilla, and others were called off as a result.

The cancellation was attributed to significant flooding at the campground and festival grounds. This created unsafe conditions for attendees, according to a Billboard report from June 21, 2025.

Shortly after announcing the cancellation, Bonnaroo organizers stated they would offer ticket buyers a 75 percent refund in an Instagram post on June 14, 2025, along with other safety information

However, this partial refund announcement sparked a strong backlash, with festival goers criticizing the partial reimbursement. An online petition reportedly garnered over 6,000 signatures in support of complete reimbursement.

Bonnaroo to offer full refunds; no future dates announced

The negative response prompted organizers to revisit their refund policy. On June 21, 2025, Bonnaroo issued an updated statement via Instagram confirming they would offer 100 percent refunds to all attendees. The statement read:

“We want you to know that we’re still listening and actively discussing plans to improve The Farm that we love so much. For now, we are updating the refund to 100 percent, rather than the 75 percent originally offered.”

According to the post, the 100% refund applies to the following tickets purchased via Front Gate Tickets:-

All 1-Day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Admission Tickets
All 1-Day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Day Parking
All 4-Day Admission Tickets
All 4-Day Camping Accommodations

In the same announcement, Bonnaroo organizers confirmed they will not be announcing future festival dates at this time. They further assured that fans will be updated when "plans for the future take shape."

Organizers also expressed gratitude toward the community of fans and staff, noting that some have been involved with the festival since its early years.

"Everyone who works on this show loves Bonnaroo deeply. Some of us have been here since the early years, some were fans first, and some are new but fell in love with it as soon as they felt your energy and spirit on The Farm."

The announcement also stated clearly that the cancellation was in light of ensuring everyone's safety, although it was a difficult decision.

About the author

Devangee Halder is a Food and Pop culture writer at Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in International Studies. A bibliophile and foodie, her academic background, with the intersection of history and cultural studies, has deepened her love for reading and writing.

With over a year of experience, including an internship at Indian Express, which she landed through correspondence with editor Raj Kumar Jha, she transitioned into her current role at this company. As a journalist covering gastronomic trends and other news from the F&B Industry, she veers away from prescriptivism, and instead prioritizes questioning of current narratives, and forwarding relevant news, ensuring they are devoid of sensationalism.

Devangee approaches food with an interdisciplinary lens, locating it vis-à-vis areas such as culture, history, memory, and economics, within which culinary traditions found fruition and subsequently flourished. When not working, she enjoys cooking and reading, alongside her newfound interest in weightlifting. Among her favorite personalities are Sarah Todd and Vikas Khanna, and she admires the late chef Jock Zonfrillo for his work on indigenous food habits and ingredients.

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Edited by Sriparna Barui