Short version: a recent discussion on r/bonnaroo got people excited after listeners of The What podcast said the festival’s ‘UFO’ setup (the WITW area) will be used for unscheduled second-sets — basically a pop-up platform for artists who want to play longer or surprise the crowd. That could mean legit surprise 3–5 song sets or full-on late-night takeovers, which many users hope will revive the magic of Bonnaroo’s late-night scene.
Why this matters: Bonnaroo late nights are a big part of the experience for many festival-goers. Moving the UFO out of the woods and turning it into a roaming surprise-stage could create more flexible programming — giving artists a chance to throw down unexpected b2bs, encore-style sets, or extended DJ slots that aren’t on the official lineup.
Community wish list (from the thread):
– manifesting Skrillex b2b Four Tet — a top comment and one of the most-requested dream sets.
– Late-night DJ collabs like Trixie x Kesha for a wild, late-party feel.
– Chase & Status starting on the main stage then hopping to the UFO to keep momentum up until sunrise.
– A Cameron Winter solo redemption set (fan hopefuls are excited about this one).
What fans are saying: some longtime Roo heads say this won’t bother them — we’ve already had lively late nights at Calliope and Centeroo in the past — but others miss the woods and art installations and want a compromise (silent disco in the woods was suggested more than once). A few people are skeptical until they see a proper sound system in place, and others pointed out that surprise sets used to be more frequent pre-COVID.
Bottom line: the UFO-as-pop-up-stage idea has the subreddit buzzing. If the festival leans into unscheduled second-sets, late nights at Bonnaroo could get a lot more spontaneous and memorable — and that’s exactly the kind of thing Roo fans live for. What would you want to see on the UFO? Drop your dream surprise set in the comments.