themicah

We had a really, really great time.

We went with regular tickets in '03 and '04 (the second and third years) and didn't really have any problems, although in '04 we waited overnight (about 5 hours) in traffic to get in. We used the portapotties and they were kept pretty clean (they emptied and cleaned them multiple times a day)--but they were still portapotties.

This year (our first time back since '04) we went for "VIP tickets," which I would definitely do again (this year it was about $700/person for VIP vs. around $300 for regular tickets).

With the VIP tickets, we had zero wait to get in (they sent the VIPs to an off-site checkin location, where they gave us special directions using back roads into the main site). We didn't have any special exit route at the end, but like in previous years (when we had non-VIP tickets), it only took about 20 minutes to get to the highway when we left right after Sunday night's final show, and once on the highway it was smooth sailing. All of this of course assumes that you are arriving at the beginning and staying to the end. I have no idea how easy it is to get in/out if you're staying off site at a hotel or something, but I believe they have shuttles available for some hotels and a day parking lot somewhere as well.

The VIP bathrooms (located in the VIP camping area and near the biggest stage) were "executive trailer" type bathrooms with air conditioning and full-time attendants and were kept very clean. Not the Four Seasons, but definitely nicer than portapotties.

Since '04 or so they've had showers available in all camping areas. They charge a fee in the regular areas but showers are free in the VIP areas. I used the VIP showers a couple times and they were basic (just a bunch of stall showers wedged into a shipping container), but clean and functional (they had hot water, which is all that really matters, right?).

Food and beverage lines were fine, although we mostly ate and drank what we brought along. We bought a couple bags of fresh ice each day to keep our coolers cold and there was no line for ice. The only problem we encountered was that the water spigots near the main stage had some problems so it was tough to refill our water bottles at that particular spigot. The sinks in the VIP area worked great, though, as did the water spigots near the smaller stages in the "Centeroo" area, and the water tasted fine (I heard last year it was very sulphuric and a little brown, but this year they apparently used some sort of filtering system).

The biggest issue with Bonnaroo is that weather plays such a big role. This year we got really lucky in that it wasn't too oppressively hot (it never got above 87) and there was only one really major rainstorm (Thursday night). The weather was perfect for all the nighttime shows, and the mud was minimal (it was only really an issue Friday morning). In past years, things haven't been so great weather-wise, and even in ideal weather, it can be tough to do the daytime shows at the biggest stages (where there's almost no shade) if you can't handle standing out in the sun for long stretches.

There are a variety of ways to "do" Bonnaroo, of course. If you want more private facilities, an RV is always an option (whether VIP or not). We went with a group that rented an RV in '03 and '04 and were able to get pretty nice ones from the Roanoke location of elmonterv.com for a little over $2k all-in. This year Bonnaroo offered pre-parked "on site" RVs for about $3k. They also offer hotel packages, although again I'm not sure how easy it is to get back and forth between the hotel and the site, and IMO hanging out in the campsites is half the fun. And of course the BEST way is to get on a band's guest list and get a pass, or buy one through the Amex Roll Like a Rockstar package (which I believe started at about $25k for four people). But if we can fit Bonnaroo into our schedule again next year, we'll probably stick with a simple tent, air mattress and sunshade in the VIP area.