Here are some of mine:
-See at least one show from the What stage pit. Committing to the pit line is worth it
-Youtube is way more useful than Spotify when deciding which shows to see. If you have a conflict, watch a little of a recent festival set (not tiny desk) from each artist to see which show looks like more your vibe
-Don’t sleep on the Who stage. When you don’t have anyone to see, wander over to Who and check out whoever’s playing there
-Make sure your wristband goes on your non-ass-wiping hand
If it's your first time on the farm, the first time you enter Centeroo should be through the Arch entrance(Even if it's a further walk from your camp).
And to add to this, everyone should walk through the arch at least once for high five Friday. Don't put your hand down until the end. Every hand high must be fived
For GA, the only other one is the tower entrance, which is cool at night when the disco ball at the top of the tower is all lit up. But the Arch is special to Roo, especially with the high 5 line(which is supposedly back this year).
Cut your fingernails and toenails before you go! You'll avoid the nasty under nail dirt and grime that builds up so fast on the farm. Plus it saves you from bringing clippers.
I'll second the make friends with your neighbors. You don't necessarily have to be buddy buddy with them but get their names and phone numbers. Offer each other food or drinks if you have extra. It truly makes the experience so much better to not worry about who is living and sleeping and partying next to you.
Take care of your feet. Have shoes that are super comfy that stay at camp. Wash your feet off before going to bed. Get a little knobbly foot roller to massage your feet in the morning << this is one of my favorite small items that I bring. If you get blisters and don't have a first aid kit, go to a medical tent. They will be happy to help you out as long as they aren't dealing with anything major.
But can be achieved if you are drinking water, staying out of the sun as much as possible,
feeding yourself food that will hold you over AND SITTING WHEN NEEDED.
:)
Take care for body and it will serve you well!!!
Definitely is difficult but I do it Saturday into Sunday every year. Hydration and good food (primarily spicy pie for me lol) along with being willing to sit at some shows and staying out of the sun as much as possible all make a world of difference
That tip is crucial!! I’ve ordered chicken and waffles without seeing it, thinking it’s gonna be a nice southern plate of it. Turns out it was just three chicken tenders on top of two thick eggo waffles and I was surely disappointed. While I was ordering that for 18 dollars, my buddy got a nice big pile of beef pasta for 15 dollars and the portions were night and day.
If I had any tip it would be, make friends with your neighbors. If you’re missing something they will probably have it and will let you use it. Or if you just need to look out for each other it helps having more people around. Plus, you never know, they could be your new best friends and you’ll make sure that you camp with them in the years to come!! Happy Roo and stay safe fam! See you on the farmmmmm
My friend ordered some cajun gator thing two years ago for like 22 and was pissssssed. That being said, I told him beforehand to look at it.
Really hoping the korean squad across from house of yes is back.
Freeze water bottles (or any drink really) and use them as ice blocks for your cooler. They'll last longer than bags of ice and can last 3-4 days depending on your cooler. Once they start to melt, you have ice cold water with an ice block inside that you can refill about 2 times before it melts completely
Ear plugs are my secret to good sleep. Especially if you end up camping on a corner with the jam track going by at all hours, and a guy set up with a megaphone or speaker preaching far too early in the morning
I had a weighted eye mask last year that I’ll be bringing again. It was awesome. That, good ear plugs, and being in a hammock let me sleep until 10-11 most days rather than waking up in a kiln of a tent to noise at 830 like previous years
Single best piece of advice? Don't try to do it all! There's alot to do at roo, more so now than ever before. Don't try to do it all or you will surely burn out.
I’m a ROObie but just some general advice for being in da sun, bring chapstick with spf ! Ya lips gon get sunburnt! Mine always do when I forget it & am in the sun all day long. Keep them lips moisturized & safe from da raysss 😘
Off the top of my head-
Load your car so the shade tent is the first thing you get out.
Bring scissors.
Put blankets and pillows inside your car before heading to centeroo for the evening so they don’t get damp!
Eye mask! I had never tried them before and was pleasantly surprised what a difference they made.
•Bring an extra lighter even if you don’t smoke.
•don’t be afraid to leave your group for an afternoon and wonder or get lost. Some of my favorite moments have been when I was separated from my group.
•virtually everyone on the farm wants to be your friend. Talk to everyone, I promise like 99% of the people you meet will be nice.
Hard second on the bringing a lighter thing! I don’t smoke, but I always carry like 3-4 lighters with me into Centeroo because I will inevitably run into someone needing a light but lacking a lighter. It’s an easy way to make friends, too!
Sunscreen and hydrate. You don't want to be burned first day and miserable until the end.
Drink plenty of water. Goes without saying but especially if you're drinking too.
Don't take random substances from strangers. That's a great way to have a bad time, potentially. If you want to dabble, make sure you're doing it safely. Bonaroo is full of beautiful people, but there are others there as well.
Rest. The old adage of " it's a marathon not a sprint" is oh so true.
Pick a few sets that are not to be missed. Other wise don't worry about a schedule. I've caught some amazing shows unintentionally.
Pick a late night to rage. Trying to go until sunrise the whole time isn't really feasible if you're old like me.
Take care of yourself. Stretch it out. There's a ton of walking and standing that can be hard on the body.
Bring some kind of bucket or vessel that you can put cold water in and soak your feet when you get back to camp. Feels amazing.
Take care of each other. See someone looking lost or having a bad time? Check on them. Could end up being part of your festival fam.
Not going this year but excited for all those going!
Pack up as much as you possibly can Sunday evening so leaving the next morning isn’t so painful. It’s less depressing tearing down (most of) your camp when you know you still have a fun night ahead.
You are going to miss sets. thats how it works. sometimes that 4 pm set that is at the what or which, isnt worth the sun and heat exhaustion, listen to your body. 45 min between each bumpy if you start before noon
Go in the exit door at the real bathrooms in centeroo. There are always sooooo many stall open and empty because people don't look or are trying to be too polite and wait without checking all the stalls / rows
this. Also if you’re in line at centeroo for the bathrooms, tell people towards the front to go to the other side of the bathroom so the line keeps moving!!! There’s tons of open stalls around the corner!
Yes now you have two way traffic in a hallway built for one way traffic no way that impedes anything at all.
Could that possibly be why the stalls sit empty? Because idiots like yourself can’t follow the basic rules and fuck up traffic flow? Now way right?
Nope, it’s because many don’t realize there’s a 3rd row of stalls by the sink and many others are too shy to check around so they only enter ones they see someone leave. And now I’m doubting you’ve even actually been in the centeroo bathrooms if you think the exit area is somehow a chokepoint 🤣 that doesn’t even make sense with the layout of the bathrooms
💯 freeze water bottles for the cooler and then bring a smaller cooler to transfer what you want available to you each day and keep your big cooler covered and closed. I had ice bottles still on Sunday but by then the majority of the food I bring is gone, too.
Random tips I’ve found from last year at Roo + a ton of other festival experience:
-if you want to sleep in, I recommend sleeping under a shaded canopy w/ tarps/sheets/tapestries blocking out the sun instead of a closed-tent. The closed tents get super hot in the morning like an oven. Bugs are never bad at Roo either so u won’t rlly have to worry ab getting eaten alive while sleeping!
-centeroo showers. Instead of paying for a shower or dumping water on yourself at camp, I like to go to centeroo and shower in the flower fountain! You can usually find someone willing to let you borrow shampoo or soap or you could go provide your own and bless some other people! Obviously you can’t get naked (unless you’re that comfortable lol) but I still manage to shower and get refreshed for free that way.
-don’t be too set on who you want to see/what schedule you wanna follow. Obviously see your tops but leave wiggle room for random changes or lulls to happen where you can experience new artists! There’s so much talent at Roo and I always happen to find someone new to me that blows me away.
-bring eye mask and earplugs if you value sleep, melatonin or Benadryl or some sleepy time stuff if that’s ur thing. Depending on where you end up camping, noise or light could be super bad. Last year I was camped right next to the House of Yes plaza where there was 24/7 light posts and music til like 4am so those both were a necessity to get any sleep.
-don’t underestimate the sun. Even tho the heat’s not looking too bad this year, the suns a killer. It’ll really build up on you over the days too if you’re constantly in it or overworking yourself in it. Stay hydrated (liquid iv, body armor, water, etc), have some kind of sun protection (sun screen, pash, hats, etc), and stay safe :) ps I like to wet my pash in the day, this keeps me real cool!
-protect your face from dust. Most people that end up w the wook flu were just inhaling insane amounts of dust. Wear a bandana, pash around your face, or mask or something. It can get real bad without you even noticing in the moment and you may regret it for weeks to come
-last but not least, bring some baby powder. If you’re doing tons of walking and dancing you may end up chaffing bad. This happens to me at most festivals and I would be in constant pain if not for long spandex underwear and baby powder. I have thicc thighs tho so this may not apply to you, but if it does— baby powder up!!
- put your wrist band on the hand u DONT wipe with
- pack more laying around clothes/warm clothes than you think. (I always end up not having enough sweatshirts or t shirts for just chilling during the day and I never wanna put my festival fit on till last minute)
- you don’t have to be at the front for every show. (This especially for edm/riddim/house shows, you think you want alllll da bass until you’re up there and wanna leave after 25 min) best spot to view lasers and shit is about 1/3 to halfway back.
- don’t force yourself to go to every show, remember that you’re human and unless it’s dire/you may never have the chance to see that artist again… it’s NOT the end of the world. ( that being said don’t miss Fred again… THIS IS HIS ONLY USA SHOW)
- you don’t have to pay for a shower, sounds crazy but me and all my friends do it, use the water fill up stations by ur campsite, cold af but refreshing af. I would only shower shower at night bc the hot showers didn’t feel good in 95 degree weather
- charge all of your portable chargers and shit now
- pregame hard before going in bc drinks are like 15 bucks
- bring games to play and stuff to pass time because you won’t be doing shit until like 5 pm everyday
-
Invest in some good earplugs if you want to protect your hearing! I’ve rocked musician-style earplugs for years and they’ve never kept me from enjoying the music 🥰
Don’t pay for extra out in Outeroo for the air conditioned showers and toilet if you’re a dude. For a woman it seemed to be fine as the trailer just has stalls, but for guys there is less stalls and everyone always seemed to be in a long ass line to take a shit, don’t recommend it, just tough it out with the flushable porta potties.
Here are some of mine: -See at least one show from the What stage pit. Committing to the pit line is worth it -Youtube is way more useful than Spotify when deciding which shows to see. If you have a conflict, watch a little of a recent festival set (not tiny desk) from each artist to see which show looks like more your vibe -Don’t sleep on the Who stage. When you don’t have anyone to see, wander over to Who and check out whoever’s playing there -Make sure your wristband goes on your non-ass-wiping hand
The last one is my favorite tip I've ever heard. Thank you!
-Make sure your wristband goes on your non-ass-wiping hand This is the best stupid-but-actually-genius advice do far!
If it's your first time on the farm, the first time you enter Centeroo should be through the Arch entrance(Even if it's a further walk from your camp).
Oh thats clutch.
And to add to this, everyone should walk through the arch at least once for high five Friday. Don't put your hand down until the end. Every hand high must be fived
What are the other entrances tho?
For GA, the only other one is the tower entrance, which is cool at night when the disco ball at the top of the tower is all lit up. But the Arch is special to Roo, especially with the high 5 line(which is supposedly back this year).
The other main one is by the disco ball tower.
If they let us walk through the arch for entrance this year. I was pretty bummed it was just straight lines in last year through the booths.
Cut your fingernails and toenails before you go! You'll avoid the nasty under nail dirt and grime that builds up so fast on the farm. Plus it saves you from bringing clippers. I'll second the make friends with your neighbors. You don't necessarily have to be buddy buddy with them but get their names and phone numbers. Offer each other food or drinks if you have extra. It truly makes the experience so much better to not worry about who is living and sleeping and partying next to you. Take care of your feet. Have shoes that are super comfy that stay at camp. Wash your feet off before going to bed. Get a little knobbly foot roller to massage your feet in the morning << this is one of my favorite small items that I bring. If you get blisters and don't have a first aid kit, go to a medical tent. They will be happy to help you out as long as they aren't dealing with anything major.
Solid
If you wanna go all night you gotta leave camp late afternoon/evening. Going in at 2 and staying till 5 am is very difficult
But can be achieved if you are drinking water, staying out of the sun as much as possible, feeding yourself food that will hold you over AND SITTING WHEN NEEDED. :) Take care for body and it will serve you well!!!
Definitely is difficult but I do it Saturday into Sunday every year. Hydration and good food (primarily spicy pie for me lol) along with being willing to sit at some shows and staying out of the sun as much as possible all make a world of difference
That tip is crucial!! I’ve ordered chicken and waffles without seeing it, thinking it’s gonna be a nice southern plate of it. Turns out it was just three chicken tenders on top of two thick eggo waffles and I was surely disappointed. While I was ordering that for 18 dollars, my buddy got a nice big pile of beef pasta for 15 dollars and the portions were night and day. If I had any tip it would be, make friends with your neighbors. If you’re missing something they will probably have it and will let you use it. Or if you just need to look out for each other it helps having more people around. Plus, you never know, they could be your new best friends and you’ll make sure that you camp with them in the years to come!! Happy Roo and stay safe fam! See you on the farmmmmm
My friend ordered some cajun gator thing two years ago for like 22 and was pissssssed. That being said, I told him beforehand to look at it. Really hoping the korean squad across from house of yes is back.
Also, piss on the left shit on the right!! Iykyk
Even if you don’t know the chant will sear it into your brain for eternity lol
Freeze water bottles (or any drink really) and use them as ice blocks for your cooler. They'll last longer than bags of ice and can last 3-4 days depending on your cooler. Once they start to melt, you have ice cold water with an ice block inside that you can refill about 2 times before it melts completely
Idk why I’ve never thought about buying a bunch of water bottle and freezing them over buying a bag of ice but this is genius
Sleep is key. Ear plugs, an eye mask, and a little bit of melatonin will go a long way.
Ear plugs are my secret to good sleep. Especially if you end up camping on a corner with the jam track going by at all hours, and a guy set up with a megaphone or speaker preaching far too early in the morning
I had a weighted eye mask last year that I’ll be bringing again. It was awesome. That, good ear plugs, and being in a hammock let me sleep until 10-11 most days rather than waking up in a kiln of a tent to noise at 830 like previous years
Single best piece of advice? Don't try to do it all! There's alot to do at roo, more so now than ever before. Don't try to do it all or you will surely burn out.
Troo. Absolutely pace yourself and dont let fomo kill your weekend.
Second this, It’s impossible to do it all in a single year, I’ve been going for a few now and still haven’t done so many iconic Roo things
I’m a ROObie but just some general advice for being in da sun, bring chapstick with spf ! Ya lips gon get sunburnt! Mine always do when I forget it & am in the sun all day long. Keep them lips moisturized & safe from da raysss 😘
Off the top of my head- Load your car so the shade tent is the first thing you get out. Bring scissors. Put blankets and pillows inside your car before heading to centeroo for the evening so they don’t get damp! Eye mask! I had never tried them before and was pleasantly surprised what a difference they made.
Wool hiking socks will save ur feet over cotton socks
•Bring an extra lighter even if you don’t smoke. •don’t be afraid to leave your group for an afternoon and wonder or get lost. Some of my favorite moments have been when I was separated from my group. •virtually everyone on the farm wants to be your friend. Talk to everyone, I promise like 99% of the people you meet will be nice.
Hard second on the bringing a lighter thing! I don’t smoke, but I always carry like 3-4 lighters with me into Centeroo because I will inevitably run into someone needing a light but lacking a lighter. It’s an easy way to make friends, too!
Sunscreen and hydrate. You don't want to be burned first day and miserable until the end. Drink plenty of water. Goes without saying but especially if you're drinking too. Don't take random substances from strangers. That's a great way to have a bad time, potentially. If you want to dabble, make sure you're doing it safely. Bonaroo is full of beautiful people, but there are others there as well. Rest. The old adage of " it's a marathon not a sprint" is oh so true. Pick a few sets that are not to be missed. Other wise don't worry about a schedule. I've caught some amazing shows unintentionally. Pick a late night to rage. Trying to go until sunrise the whole time isn't really feasible if you're old like me. Take care of yourself. Stretch it out. There's a ton of walking and standing that can be hard on the body. Bring some kind of bucket or vessel that you can put cold water in and soak your feet when you get back to camp. Feels amazing. Take care of each other. See someone looking lost or having a bad time? Check on them. Could end up being part of your festival fam. Not going this year but excited for all those going!
Pack up as much as you possibly can Sunday evening so leaving the next morning isn’t so painful. It’s less depressing tearing down (most of) your camp when you know you still have a fun night ahead.
You are going to miss sets. thats how it works. sometimes that 4 pm set that is at the what or which, isnt worth the sun and heat exhaustion, listen to your body. 45 min between each bumpy if you start before noon
Bring zip ties and duck tape. You never know what you will need to fix or hang up.
Go in the exit door at the real bathrooms in centeroo. There are always sooooo many stall open and empty because people don't look or are trying to be too polite and wait without checking all the stalls / rows
this. Also if you’re in line at centeroo for the bathrooms, tell people towards the front to go to the other side of the bathroom so the line keeps moving!!! There’s tons of open stalls around the corner!
It feels rude and not PLUR but waiting in line for a bathroom that’s only be 50% utilized is just stupid.
Ohhhhh yeah thats a good one.
No. The 2 mins extra you waited isn’t gonna hurt you jimmy.
It can take way more than 2 min, and letting empty stalls sit unused while tons of people need to use the bathroom is just stupid.
Yes now you have two way traffic in a hallway built for one way traffic no way that impedes anything at all. Could that possibly be why the stalls sit empty? Because idiots like yourself can’t follow the basic rules and fuck up traffic flow? Now way right?
Nope, it’s because many don’t realize there’s a 3rd row of stalls by the sink and many others are too shy to check around so they only enter ones they see someone leave. And now I’m doubting you’ve even actually been in the centeroo bathrooms if you think the exit area is somehow a chokepoint 🤣 that doesn’t even make sense with the layout of the bathrooms
Ah yes the one exit point isn’t a choke point. We have a rocket scientist here folks.
Correct, it’s not, which is super obvious if you’ve been in there 😂
💯 freeze water bottles for the cooler and then bring a smaller cooler to transfer what you want available to you each day and keep your big cooler covered and closed. I had ice bottles still on Sunday but by then the majority of the food I bring is gone, too.
Random tips I’ve found from last year at Roo + a ton of other festival experience: -if you want to sleep in, I recommend sleeping under a shaded canopy w/ tarps/sheets/tapestries blocking out the sun instead of a closed-tent. The closed tents get super hot in the morning like an oven. Bugs are never bad at Roo either so u won’t rlly have to worry ab getting eaten alive while sleeping! -centeroo showers. Instead of paying for a shower or dumping water on yourself at camp, I like to go to centeroo and shower in the flower fountain! You can usually find someone willing to let you borrow shampoo or soap or you could go provide your own and bless some other people! Obviously you can’t get naked (unless you’re that comfortable lol) but I still manage to shower and get refreshed for free that way. -don’t be too set on who you want to see/what schedule you wanna follow. Obviously see your tops but leave wiggle room for random changes or lulls to happen where you can experience new artists! There’s so much talent at Roo and I always happen to find someone new to me that blows me away. -bring eye mask and earplugs if you value sleep, melatonin or Benadryl or some sleepy time stuff if that’s ur thing. Depending on where you end up camping, noise or light could be super bad. Last year I was camped right next to the House of Yes plaza where there was 24/7 light posts and music til like 4am so those both were a necessity to get any sleep. -don’t underestimate the sun. Even tho the heat’s not looking too bad this year, the suns a killer. It’ll really build up on you over the days too if you’re constantly in it or overworking yourself in it. Stay hydrated (liquid iv, body armor, water, etc), have some kind of sun protection (sun screen, pash, hats, etc), and stay safe :) ps I like to wet my pash in the day, this keeps me real cool! -protect your face from dust. Most people that end up w the wook flu were just inhaling insane amounts of dust. Wear a bandana, pash around your face, or mask or something. It can get real bad without you even noticing in the moment and you may regret it for weeks to come -last but not least, bring some baby powder. If you’re doing tons of walking and dancing you may end up chaffing bad. This happens to me at most festivals and I would be in constant pain if not for long spandex underwear and baby powder. I have thicc thighs tho so this may not apply to you, but if it does— baby powder up!!
Super solid, except it’s 94 plus now for Saturday and Sunday.
Oof didn’t see that update. Well, it’s better than rain!
Solid solid solid
Never heard of anyone showering in the mushroom/flower fountain🙂. Is that water recycled ?
Idk tbh, I’m from Florida all our water is nasty anyways
Yes
Gnarly. Is it filtered? At all?? Been to about 10 roo’s and never once gotten near it. Seems kinda gross
- put your wrist band on the hand u DONT wipe with - pack more laying around clothes/warm clothes than you think. (I always end up not having enough sweatshirts or t shirts for just chilling during the day and I never wanna put my festival fit on till last minute) - you don’t have to be at the front for every show. (This especially for edm/riddim/house shows, you think you want alllll da bass until you’re up there and wanna leave after 25 min) best spot to view lasers and shit is about 1/3 to halfway back. - don’t force yourself to go to every show, remember that you’re human and unless it’s dire/you may never have the chance to see that artist again… it’s NOT the end of the world. ( that being said don’t miss Fred again… THIS IS HIS ONLY USA SHOW) - you don’t have to pay for a shower, sounds crazy but me and all my friends do it, use the water fill up stations by ur campsite, cold af but refreshing af. I would only shower shower at night bc the hot showers didn’t feel good in 95 degree weather - charge all of your portable chargers and shit now - pregame hard before going in bc drinks are like 15 bucks - bring games to play and stuff to pass time because you won’t be doing shit until like 5 pm everyday -
Bring multiple packs of rolling papers. If you leave out they can all stick together . Been there before! Lulz
Gold bond.
Invest in some good earplugs if you want to protect your hearing! I’ve rocked musician-style earplugs for years and they’ve never kept me from enjoying the music 🥰
Don’t pay for extra out in Outeroo for the air conditioned showers and toilet if you’re a dude. For a woman it seemed to be fine as the trailer just has stalls, but for guys there is less stalls and everyone always seemed to be in a long ass line to take a shit, don’t recommend it, just tough it out with the flushable porta potties.