Bonnaroo inarguably had a solid lineup this year, with 2025 festival headline staples Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, and Vampire Weekend leading the eclectic list of artists set to perform. Unfortunately, barely any of them would, as Bonnaroo cancelled the event early in the afternoon of the second day—and then again a few hours later, and then again a few hours after that.
“At about 1:30 p.m., at the media tent, they told us they were evacuating the festival because it was raining,” FLOOD photographer Christian Sarkine shares, relaying his experience on Friday afternoon of the event. “So all of us photogs went back to our cars where we sat there for an hour, and then we just kept waiting. The rain eventually died down, so we went back into the fest; except they wouldn’t let us into the media tent or Centeroo. However, we found a way into the grounds and took a lap, hung out for an hour, then the announcement came out saying we needed to evacuate. This happened two more times: go to the car, it rains, dies down, walk back into the grounds, time to evacuate.”
Needless to say, it was a confusing afternoon for everyone. “The last delay happened around 5 p.m., and it wasn’t until almost 8 p.m. when they pulled the plug. Funnily enough, once they pulled the plug, it didn’t rain at all for another 12 to 14 hours.”
Fortunately, Sarkine was on the festival grounds for Thursday’s kickoff, which saw exciting sets from Wisp, hey, nothing, 2hollis, Joey Valence & Brae, and Mike Sabath, among others. Beyond that, Remi Wolf’s planned SuperJam event at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville—wherein the pop star performed covers of classic ’70s hits with a deep guest list that notably included Hayley Williams, Mt. Joy, Grouplove, and more—went off without a hitch over the weekend, as did Jack’s Mannequin’s gig at The Festive Owl. Check out Sarkine’s photos from the fest itself and from other Bonnaroo-related festivities below.
JOEY VALENCE & BRAE
MIKE SABATH
HEY, NOTHING
2HOLLIS
WISP
JACK’S MANNEQUIN
REMI WOLF AND FRIENDS
