More than 80,000 music lovers are expected to attend this year’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester. (The Herald/Facebook Photo)

For over a decade, the Middle Tennessee city of Manchester in Coffee County has hosted one of the most popular live music events in the country – the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

The festival is a four-day, multi-stage music festival held on a 700-acre farm.  Thousands of people from all over the country make the yearly trip to attend the festival, and Manchester becomes their temporary home for several days in June.  As in years past, more than 80,000 music lovers are expected to attend this year’s festival, which kicks off Thursday night, June 7, and winds down Sunday night, June 10.

With 80,000 festival-goers converging at an old farm site in Coffee County, the area in and around Manchester always sees increased traffic throughout the festival.  As Manchester prepares to welcome a multitude of visitors, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol are gearing up for the extra traffic expected in the area.  TDOT and the THP are working closely with the Manchester Police Department, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and festival promoters to keep traffic moving on I-24 while also getting Bonnaroo attendees to their destinations.

“Keeping traffic moving on I-24 while getting festival goers in and out of Bonnaroo is an enormous challenge for both TDOT and the THP,” said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer. “Through advance planning and coordination, along with years of experience, we will minimize delays as much as possible throughout the weekend.”

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