After Bonnaroo: How to Choose Your Next Festival
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 (@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 thewhat.co/giveaway.
If you don't win, get tickets to CaveFest here! Oct 10-11, 2026 at The Caverns
Listen to this week's episode here or watch it on YouTube. As always, subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get podcasts for weekly updates on Bonnaroo and festival news!
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(00:00) Giveaway: Win Tickets to CaveFest
(01:00) Welcome Back, Liesl
(03:41) Remembering Dolly Parton
(14:06) Bonnaroo's Fallow Year
(17:40) Beyond Bonnaroo: Pickathon, Glastonbury & More
(22:00) How Do You Choose a Festival?
(24:26) How Glastonbury Tickets Actually Work
(28:30) What Bonnaroo's Year Off Means for Fans
(32:02) City Festivals vs. Camping Festivals
(37:34) Festival Bucket Lists
(38:55) CaveFest & Our Ticket Giveaway
(42:17) Festivals We're Hitting Next
(44:49) Going to Festivals Solo
(46:46) Wrap-Up
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
CaveFest 2026 Ticket Giveaway: How to Enter
Bonnaroo's Cancellation: A City Official on the Long-Term Vision for The Farm
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CaveFest at The Caverns, Oct 10-11, 2026 | Get Tickets Here!
$20 off Hulaween 2026 GA 4-day passes with code THEWHATPODCAST
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