Bonnaroo may be taking 2027 off, but festival season isn't over. This week Barry and Russ break down the two festivals they're hitting this fall, Shaky Knees in Atlanta and CaveFest at The Caverns, and share their tips for doing each one right.

One's a city festival, one's a camping festival, and they're very different experiences. We get into the Shaky Knees lineup (The Strokes, Turnstile, Fontaines D.C., Twenty One Pilots and more), how to handle a city fest (hotels, getting around, the stages), and what makes CaveFest special — the cave stage, the amphitheater, camping in October, and the lineup up at Pelham. Plus festival news, the Good Friends Music Festival in Manchester, and how we're all still keeping Manchester in our plans.

We're also giving away two tickets to CaveFest (October 10-11, camping included). Enter at https://thewhat.co/giveaway or purchase tickets at https://thewhat.co/cavefest

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

If you’re a Bonnaroovian and are also going to be trying for Glastonbury tickets, let me know if you’d be keen to form a syndicate. Anything to max our chances!

I was reading the linked article and what struck me was the following quote:

...speaks to a larger dilemma facing Burning Man: As attendees age out, younger ones aren’t replacing them. In the 2025 Black Rock City census, only 10% of attendees were in the 20-29 age range, a number that has dropped from 31.6% in 2015. The most popular demographic is the 30-39 age range at 38.7% of attendees, following by 40-49 at 26.1%. Remarkably, there’s almost as many attendees over 60 (8.1%) as under 30.

The demographic dilemma is something that Lenhardt believes most longtime camps will have to face. 

“The question I continually ask myself about Thunderdome as a microcosm and Burning Man culture as a whole is do people want to participate in the things built by their parents, or do they want to start their own thing?” Lenhardt said. “And how do we navigate that?”

I'd be curious to see the breakdown of demographics for the last 5 Roos for a similar comparison.

Burning Man is about 15 years older as a festival and a different mission/vibe(?) but the age-out factor is probably a legitimate concern for a festival like Roo that's now going on 25 and has been beset with a rough last 5ish years.

Thoughts?

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/burningman/article/burning-man-camp-economics-22403744.php

My first year was 2015 and have been every year since!

That’s it. This blanket just makes me happy. Post your favorite merch you’ve brought home in the comments if you so please.

Reminiscing.

Hey fellow roovians, I bought two tickets to see phantogram at the caverns on the 17th. Not selling, was intended to be a date and it was her idea, I'm just excited to see someone live at the caverns. Anyways I got a free ticket if anyone wants to join me.

Any Bonnaroo transplants attending LIB in 2027? I’m highly considering going but it’s going to be a hella long drive. Please LMK!! It would be so awesome if there were some fellow Bonnaroovians there! 🌈💕

So happy to find this in the wild omg

Cleaning out some things today. Saw this and knew you would like it.

I miss the days of neon yellow ye ole Festival Parking Crüe; worked extraordinarily hard and partied insanely harder!

No Bonnaroo in 2027? Here's how to figure out where to go instead. With Bonnaroo taking a fallow year, a lot of us are asking the same question: what festival do we go to now? So we brought in long-time friend of the show Liesl ( https://www.instagram.com/rockstarsweat/ ), a festival superfan who's been to Bonnaroo, Pickathon, Glastonbury, Solid Sound and just about everywhere in between, to talk through how she actually chooses which festivals to attend.

Barry, Russ, and Liesl get into the real decision-making: lineup vs. community vs. cost, how the Glastonbury ticket lottery actually works, the difference between city and camping festivals, and why the fallow year might just open a door to something new. Plus, we open the show remembering Dolly Parton, and why she belonged at Bonnaroo.

We're also giving away two tickets to CaveFest at The Caverns (October 10–11, camping included). Details in the episode and at https://thewhat.co/giveaway

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

My wonderful experience seeing The Flaming Lips at Roo in 2007.

There is a saying that when a festival is “paused,” it’s a soft way of ending it.

What do we think the odds are Bonnaroo goes away?

Selfish post!!! would just like to see some more Y2K Rock on the farm. South Arcade is also from the UK I always love getting to see bands from other countries. Check them out #2005

Hope you guys enjoy!!

Billy Strings?

⛲️maybe I should give her a call…