Bonnaroo Contributes to Nashville Flood Relief Effort

Many concertgoers will travel through Nashville on their way to nearby Manchester, Tenn., for the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival this June.

Now, the folks who put on one of the biggest music festivals in the country are doing their part to help the flood-devastated Music City with its relief efforts. Festival organizers have already donated $10,000 to the Middle Tennessee Red Cross and have more relief campaigns planned both before and during the festival.

From now until June 6, Bonnaroo is calling on fans of the fest to make contributions to their campaign for the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a nonprofit whose goal is to “serve as a leader, catalyst, and resource for philanthropy,” according to its website. The festival will match donations up to $30,000 via the nonprofit Bonnaroo Works Fund established last year.

At the festival, Bonnaroo Café performer Jonathan Sexton (of Jonathan Sexton & the Big Love Choir) will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for most hugs given in a 24-hour period (he’ll have to pass the 7,800 mark). For every hug, Bonnaroo is encouraging festivalgoers to donate a dollar and the festival will match donations of up to $10,000 for the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville’s “Restore the Dream” Fund. United Way also has a text message donation campaign going, where donors can contribute $10 by texting “RESTORE” to 864833.

More information on how to help the Bonnaroo relief efforts can be found on the festival website.