Lock'n vs Bonnaroo

The Vibes

The vibes at Bonnaroo and Lockn' are both positive, but a bit different. Bonnaroo has had a lot of time to develop a culture, whereas Lockn' is only entering its second year. Bonnaroo has more community driven art and a greater since of participation. Moreover, there is simply more downtime at Bonnaroo. By downtime, I mean time not spent listening to music. So time spent at Bonnaroo requires more human interaction than Lockn' does. With all that being said, Lockn' has considerably less douche-bags per capita than Bonnaroo.

Bonnaroo can feel like more of a "community," especially since more time is spent hangning out with neighbors at camp or between shows. However, the last two or three years at Bonnaroo, I can't help but notice that everyone isn't on the same wavelength like they used to be. The musical spectrum at Bonnaroo used to be a lot narrower; and as a result, it felt more like a shared experience. Lately I'm finding that some people have completely different weekends than I do. This year I camped next to a group of guys and we literally didn't see any of the same shows.

The Layout

Bonnaroo can be a torture test, especially in the hotter years. Things have been mild the last two or three years, but I've been there on days where temperatures reach the mid to upper nineties. That can really wear you down and is a serious factor to consider. Additionally, the Bonnaroo campgrounds are way, way bigger than Lockn's (especially based on this year). If you are camped "far away" at Bonnaroo, your walk is easily in excess of a mile. Additionally, unlike Lockn', you might find yourself making the hike to and from camp several times a day. One of the primary reasons I love Lockn' is because each day I walk to the venue and get myself situated for 8-12 straight hours of music. At Bonnaroo I often have "gaps" in my schedule where I struggle with whether or not to go back to camp. Regardless of where you are camped, you're guaranteed to do more walking than at Lockn', as you're constantly shuffling from one stage to another to catch your next show.

The Music

Bonnaroo has more musical options, but Lockn' allows you to consume more music per hour. At Lockn', if I don't like the band that is playing, I'm basically out of luck (I know that doesn't apply to latenight this year). At Bonnaroo you constantly have 3, 4, maybe even 5 choices. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of conflicts and painful, Sophie's Choice-esque decisions. Meanwhile, Lockn' doesn't require you to hop from one stage to another or waiting 45 minutes for the next set, so you can actually consume more music at Lockn' than Bonnaroo.


Key Differences

Of course, there is simply more to do at Bonnaroo. There are a lot of attractions other than music, and you could easily spend the entire day inside the venue (aka "Centeroo") without getting bored for a second.

You need to be way more comfortable in crowds at Bonnaroo. At least, if you want to be up close for any shows. Lockn' looks to be 25,000 to 30,000 people this year. Bonnaroo maxes out at 80,000 people. Shows can get crowded, the campgrounds are daunting to a newcomer, and it can be a lot easier to lose someone. Not only is Lockn' less crowded, it requires less navigation. At Bonnaroo you might have to go from This Tent to That Tent to What Stage to The Other Tent all in one day. (For those who are unaware, that isn't a joke. The stages are actually named What Stage, Which Stage, This Tent, That Tent, and The Other Tent.) No matter where you go at Bonnaroo, there are people EVERYWHERE.

Lockn's Thursday is basically a full day; whereas Bonnaroo uses Thursday to showcase "up and coming" bands, with the festival really kicking into gear on Friday.

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Keep in mind, everything I've just said comes from someone who has obsessed over and scrutinized every detail of both of these festivals, so I may be over-analyzing the details. In the grand scheme of things, Bonnaroo and Lockn' aren't that different.

If you can handle yourself at Lockn', there really shouldn't be too many reasons you can't do Bonnaroo. However, Bonnaroo will require a lot more preparation, organization, and responsibility than Lockn'.

If you have specific questions/concerns, I'll do my best to answer them.

this is a very good analysis. i give it almost a full endorsement. there is only one thing i would disagree with, and it's really just from personal experience. the one thing i would expand on/argue with is the conflicts/shows to see. yes, the conflicts often suck. many times i've found myself going to half a show, then half of another show. sucks you cant see the whole show, but you also get to see two bands you wanna see! one of the major things i love about Roo is that every year i discover new bands. Dylan talks about "gaps" in the music, and that really does happen. sometimes you'll have 2-3 hours to kill in centeroo (but you really dont wanna make that fuckin walk back to camp). it's during these "gaps" that i've discovered a lot of really cool bands that i ended up truly enjoying.
one other thing to get used to is the crowd, both the size and the age. even i, at 30, felt old this year. all of my neighbors were early 20's. they were all really cool people and we ended up hanging all weekend, but don't expect the same crowd as lockn. 
you'll get a lot of mixed advice on Roo. a lot of people hate how big it's become and how commercial and how many stages there. it's definitely a lot ot take in. Roo was my first festival and it's what got me hooked. i have a feeling i'll be going back for many years to come. i really cant recommend Roo enough. just give it a chance.

Easily one of my biggest complaints about the "changes" over the years at Bonnaroo and another reason why I love Lockn'. Seeing those unique collaborations and special guests really helped add to the magic of the festival.

to me, the simultaneous multiple band fests would be just too stressful. I don't want to miss out but it seems like it would be a scavenger hunt. The linear presentation at Lockn is one reason I'm going. When I want to relax, I don;t want to have to make any decisions.

also to me the long list of bands at the big fests start with a handful I'd like to see, followed with a few that would be interesting but not worth killing myself, then a couple dozen I've heard of, then filler.
So I say, would I really drive that far and pay $1000 to see the three bands I really want to see?

disclaimer: this is not from any experience; just evaluating.

This might be true, depending on your musical tastes. Bonnaroo has hosted some god-awful music in the last few years. However, it is also the place where I saw Paul McCartney. I was literally 15 yards from the front of stage, dead center, in a general admission (non-seated) setting. I can't begin to put a value on that ticket, but it is well in excess of the cost of a Bonnaroo ticket.

Roo long walk, long lines, oppressive heat and humidity. Lockin you and us ( Arlene and Tim ) will find out together. Roo VIP is the only way to roo because it's less of all except the heat and humidity of course but VIP does offer great ways to escape that. I've been to roo three times twice with my fiance first GA and was told we WILL do this again but we WILL do VIP and we did. She will do any festival that I ask her to as long as we do VIP. I firmly believe everyone who does festivals MUST do GA before they are allowed to do VIP. That way you know what you're missing in GA as well as why you are going VIP.

unless i win the lottery, i dont think i'll ever go to a fest in VIP. don't get me wrong, i would LOVE to experience the VIP benefits. but you know what i'd like to experience more? another fest. i understand that's not feasible for some, but i'm not married and have no kids. so if i can rough it in GA (which really adds to the experience of a fest, imo) and use the extra money to hit up another festival, i'll choose that every. single. time.

easy, soldier.  I paid extra for VIP for the comforts and I don't want a bunch of trolls around especially in the facilities, either. But if at 3 in the afternoon I want to bring a few well-behaved adults from GA/RV to sit in the shade and have a beer and a hot dog, it won't hurt anyone.  The guy asked about hanging with his friends, not leaching.  I'm hoping they'll exercise some discretion.

This year was my 7th Roo and I'm looking forward to my 1st Lockn. I was surprised that Lockn had an additional charge for camping. Are there really many who commute? The biggest difference I see so far is that Roo makes me expand my musical vocabulary, check out new bands I'd never catch otherwise. Lockn's line up is like slipping on a comfy pair of shoes.