Tennessee
Bonnaroo poured $339 million into Tennessee economy in 2023, study says
Bonnaroo, the annual, four-day music festival held in Manchester, TN. each June not only provides dozens of stages with hundreds of musical acts for thousands of festivalgoers to enjoy, it also contributes millions of dollars to the local economy each year.
Based on a newly released economic impact study held for the 2023 festival, the event contributed $339.8 million to the regional economy, including more than $5.1 million in tax revenue to the region. Bonnaroo’s activities also contributed to the creation or support of 4,163 full-time job equivalents (full-time employees and part-time employees working full-time hours).
This report marks the first time in more than a decade that event organizers have studied Bonnaroo’s economic impact, but sources say there are plans to analyze numbers annually going forward.
Festival Director Brad Parker said the impact numbers revealed by the study come as no surprise knowing that Bonnaroo draws fans and staff from all 50 states and several countries.
“We are proud of our economic and community contribution over the past 20 years to the city of Manchester, Coffee County, and the state of Tennessee,” Parker told The Tennessean via email. “We know Bonnaroo is a significant economic driver to the city, county, and the state, but what does that really mean? Economic reports are a standardized and tangible measure and will help us better gauge how we can integrate and work with the communities we impact.”
The report also determined more than $105.5 million in labor incomes were paid to regional employees as a result of the festival.
Festivalgoer (or Bonnaroovian to those in the know) expenditures accounted for nearly $287 million of the total economic impact of the 2023 festival.
Tickets: Here’s what we know so far about 2024 Bonnaroo tickets
Ryan French, executive director of South Central Tennessee Tourism Association, said with any economics report, he verifies the findings against other state-generated reports.
“I always back data with data and by looking at the state’s county-by-county snapshot, this information seems consistent with everything that’s been provided before,” he said. “Bonnaroo is huge for Manchester and Coffee County. Just looking at the direct numbers, it almost makes June another Christmas holiday season. The regional impact is massive.”
He added that the festival itself is a microcosm of the impact, which is absorbed outside of the region and even the state.
“Tourism is broken down into sectors and transportation is going to be the largest sector,” he added. “People driving in, stopping at gas stations, that’s 35% of the local economy in tourism. People driving in for Bonnaroo are stopping along the way, eating along the way, lodging along the way and a majority of people have a Nashville stop before they go to the festival.”
Bonnaroo 2023: Foo Fighters, Lil Nas X among 10 unforgettable festival performances
Matt Patton with Angelou Economics, the company that compiled the impact study, said while all of the direct impact numbers are important, don’t underestimate the ripple effects of Bonnaroo.
“Everyone understands the direct impact,” Patton said. “We see those dollars being spent and we see those people employed directly. But, the indirect and induced impacts, those ripples through the local economy generate over $100 million in total economic activity and support over 600 FTEs.”
But Bonnaroo doesn’t just generate tourism money. It also costs money to support. Parker said that Bonnaroo pays or reimburses the city, county, and the state for all additional resources needed to support the massive event.
“Significant tax dollars are generated at the local level from the festival which drives a significant portion of local operating budgets.” he said.
Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com or on X @HurtMelonee.
Tennessee
Tennessee Quarterback Enters The Transfer Portal Ahead Of Final Collegiate Season | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee quarterback Gaston Moore is entering the transfer portal ahead of his final season of eligibility, 247sports Matt Zenitz first reported on Thursday morning.
Moore spent four seasons at Tennessee after originally going to Central Florida out of high school. The Hilton Head, South Carolina native followed Heupel from UCF to Tennessee and worked his way up the depth chart before serving as the backup quarterback in 2024.
The 6-foot-2, 212-pound signal caller completed 16-of-27 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions off the bench in 2024.
Moore played a handful of meaningful snaps for Tennessee during the 2024 season. He came in for one play in the first half against Alabama, throwing an interception on a third down deep ball. After Nico Iamaleava went into concussion protocol against Mississippi State, Moore came in at halftime and completed five-of-eight passes for 38 yards while also picking up a handful of pass interference calls.
More From RTI: Tennessee Football’s Complete Season PFF Grades
Moore also played garbage time snaps in Tennessee’s lopsided wins over Chattanooga, Kent State and UTEP. The walk-on quarterback played sparingly in his first three seasons at Tennessee but didn’t attempt more than 10 passes in any of those seasons.
Despite having already spent five seasons in college Moore still has one more year of eligibility remaining. The signal caller spent the 2020 season at UCF which didn’t count against his eligibility due to COVID-19 eligibility relief. Moore then redshirted the 2021 season at Tennessee meaning only three seasons counted against his eligibility.
Without Moore, redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger and incoming freshman George MacIntyre will compete for Tennessee’s backup quarterback spot behind Nico Iamaleava.
Tennessee
Christmas travel rush kicks off in West Tennessee – WBBJ TV
JACKSON, Tenn. — It’s Christmas, the time of the year when travel gets busier as people move to and from their holiday destinations.
Christmas is underway and the holiday travel is in full affect across the region.
Here in West Tennessee, many are traveling for the holidays. A report from the Automobile Association predicted that more than 119 million Americans have at least 50 miles to travel for end of the year holidays. One traveler tells what their Christmas experience means to them.
“For me it was getting to be with family. I have sisters and stuff that I went to visit. One of them invited us up for dinner so, even though it’s a two-and-a-half hour drive, it’s always good to see family,” said Andrew Knox, traveler.
Knox says the Christmas menu did not disappoint this year.
“We had greens, macaroni and cheese, stuffed shells, dressing, ham, chicken wings — BBQ and plain, it was off the chain,” said Knox.
We asked about their end of the year reflections and what they expect for the new year.
“Grateful to have my wife with me of 17 years, my best friend and stuff, so I’m grateful that everybody is doing well. The family is doing well and that’s the main thing. Just so much to be thankful for and I just want everybody to be kind to each other. That’s all I would hope for the new year coming,” said Knox.
More than half of holiday travelers will return home on the same night. Airlines expect their busiest days to be on friday and Sunday, December 27 and December 29.
“We drove up this morning and we’re on our way back home now,” said Knox.
If your looking for last minute holiday attractions, see our 2024 Guide to the Holidays in West Tennessee.
For more news in the Jackson area, click here.
Tennessee
Four-star 2026 defensive back Justin Hopkins narrows list to 12, including Tennessee football
Ensworth defensive back Justin Hopkins included Tennessee football among his final 12 schools in a social media post Wednesday.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound four-star cornerback listed the Vols along with Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Duke, Missouri, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Iowa, Ole Miss, Auburn and West Virginia on his X account, formerly known as Twitter.
He’s the No. 9-ranked prospect in Tennessee and No. 18 nationally at corner for the class of 2026, according to 247Sports Composite.
Hopkins also holds offers from Cincinnati, UConn, Memphis, Miami (Ohio), Purdue, Toledo, UNLV and Western Kentucky.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel guided the Vols to a College Football Playoff berth as one of the 12 teams in the newly expanded field. Heupel has had success securing some of the state’s top recruits in recent years, including Brentwood Academy quarterback George MacIntyre, Hopkins’ teammate, defensive tackle, Ethan Utley as well as Baylor wide receiver Joakim Dodson, Jefferson County offensive lineman Nic Moore and Sheffield wideout Radarious Jackson.
Hopkins helped guide Ensworth to an 11-1 record that included a trip to the TSSAA Division II-AAA state semifinal game. He finished the 2024 season with 42 receptions for 705 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively, he added 16 tackles, two for a loss, seven pass break-ups, two interceptions and a defensive TD.
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
-
Technology5 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
News6 days ago
Novo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Politics6 days ago
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
Entertainment7 days ago
'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
Lifestyle7 days ago
Think you can't dance? Get up and try these tips in our comic. We dare you!
-
Technology1 week ago
Fox News AI Newsletter: OpenAI responds to Elon Musk's lawsuit
-
Technology2 days ago
There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does
-
News3 days ago
France’s new premier selects Eric Lombard as finance minister