A lively thread on r/bonnaroo asked the farm fam one simple question: what does a realistic attendance number look like this year?
The crowd-sourced answer was: it depends — but most guesses fall between roughly 30,000 and 60,000 attendees. The original post (33 upvotes, 83 comments) captured a mix of optimism, nostalgia, and straight-up ticket-anxiety.
Why the range?
– Capacity chatter: Several commenters say Bonnaroo lowered capacity this year — one estimate floated a 20K cut from a previous 80K cap to a 60K max. That hasn’t been officially confirmed in the thread, but it’s shaping expectations.
– Single-day passes & bundles: Organizers pushed early single-day options and discounted bundles, which some users think signals lower full-festival sales and could increase one-day traffic while shrinking camping numbers.
– Competing festivals: Names like Electric Forest came up as reasons some longtime Roo-goers may skip this year.
– The lineup and budget: Some fans feel the bill leans more toward a regional fest than a big-budget destination, which could affect attendance.
– Economy and travel plans: Cost and scheduling (weddings/life) were also called out as real-world factors denting the headcount.
Representative takes from the thread:
– “A Roo with only like 25k–35k people sounds kinda awesome” (u/nerdycarguy18) — less crowding, more space to roam.
– “I’d say probably 35–40k…doesn’t seem like anyone I know is going this year.” (u/Gearbm95) — personal networks matter.
– “If capacity was lowered by 20k…we’re looking at 60k max.” (u/Bp148) — math + skepticism.
– “I think somewhere in the 40Ks.” (u/Vaevicious) — a middle-ground read based on perceived lineup budget.
– “Worst-case scenario, I could see about 40,000.” (u/ChristopherChili) — pessimism mixed with realism.
What it would feel like
Fans who liked the smaller 2022 crowd said less time at tolls, shorter food lines, and generally more room to enjoy activities and sets — basically a more relaxed Roo. Others worry smaller crowds mean less energy and fewer on-site happenings.
Bottom line
Most of the community’s guesses cluster around 35K–45K for camping and roughly 40K–60K overall depending on day-pass sales. No hard ticket counts were shared in the thread — these are predictions based on social signals, early ticketing patterns, and festival competition.
Got an estimate or a ticket update? Drop it in the comments — or find the original Reddit thread if you want to read the full back-and-forth.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/bonnaroo/comments/1qhicuh/what_do_we_think_a_realistic_number_for/