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Bonnaroo poured $339 million into Tennessee economy in 2023, study says

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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.



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Tennessee

Analyst Proposes Titans, Steelers Trade

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Analyst Proposes Titans, Steelers Trade


The Tennessee Titans added Tyler Boyd to their wide receiver room, making the group even stronger after already signing Calvin Ridley earlier in free agency. Now, the question is what will they do with Treylon Burks?

The team has held strong that the third-year wideout is going to carve out a place for himself within the offense. That being said, not everyone is convinced Burks sticks around for longer than this offseason, likely finding a new home via trade.

FanSided’s John Buhler predicts that trade will happen with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And he predicts it’s in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.

“This trade is just about perfect when it comes to overall compensation. There is only like a $3,000 difference in assets changing hands. For Pittsburgh, they get a once-promising wide receiver on the cheap, while the Titans get another bite at the apple after squandering their first-round pick two springs ago. If Burks was drafted to be in an offense akin to what Smith runs, put him on Smith’s team,” Buhler writes.

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The Titans have been linked to the Steelers for a trade with Burks throughout the offseason. Pittsburgh needs a wideout next to George Pickens and Tennessee seems to have an abundance of them.

So, maybe a fourth-round pick is a decent exchange for the former first-round pick.

Make sure you bookmark All Titans for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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Friend or foe, either way East Tennessee plant specialists say they have to go

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Friend or foe, either way East Tennessee plant specialists say they have to go


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – After having a number of customers asking if they carried them, a Knoxville greenhouse says they’re not carrying Bradford pears and people need to look at alternatives.

”We don’t sell them, we don’t bring them in at all,” said Kelsey McCarter the trees and shrubs manager at Stanley’s Greenhouse.

The warning came because the trees, also known as Callery pears are invasive to East Tennessee.

”They’ve become incredibly invasive in our area, and across the country even,” said McCarter.

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The Callery, or Bradford pear, was brought to the country in the early 1900s. They became increasingly more popular in 80s and 90s as people opted for them in their yards and neighborhoods because of their pretty bloom and fast growth.

”Plants are not furniture, you know they show over decades the true properties of the plant,” said Michelle Campanis, the education programs coordinator at UT Arboretum.

WVLT News reached out to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to find out if the state is looking into banning the tree. They said it’s not an option at this time, but the department is looking into ways to manage the invasive species.

”It has become invasive because once it reverts back to the parent tree the calorie pear which has very long thorns, spreads easily and that’s what you see popping up all over the road sides, vacant lots,” said Campanis.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency created a team whose job is to travel to management areas and remove the trees, the only efforts known across the state to attempt to eradicate the tree.

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”It has become an invasive plant, every year that I’m in Oak Ridge I’m seeing more and more of them and its becoming a plant that’s crowding out our native plants that birds and insects need for food,” said Campanis.

Back at Stanley’s Greenhouse, work is now being done to educate and inform people of what should be planted instead.

”When the service berry tree is in bloom its full of white flowers I mean from a distance you may not even be able to tell it from a Bradford pear tree,” said McCarter.

While expensive, the recommendation of how to handle the Bradford pear is to simply have the trees removed.

”Having them removed unfortunately I know its a costly thing to do,” said McCarter.

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Da’Saahn Brame Sets Commitment Date

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Da’Saahn Brame Sets Commitment Date


2025 four-star tight end Da’Saahn Brame (Derby, Ks.) has set a commitment date, and his four finalists include the Tennessee Volunteers.

Derby High School tight end Da’Saahn Brame is the No. 1 remaining priority at his position for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols already landed a commitment from Southlake Carroll High School tight end Jack VanDorselaer, and they’ve zeroed in on Brame as the ideal running mate for him.

Brame ranks as the No. 101 prospect in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He also checks in as a loaded class’s No. 3 tight end. He’s set official visits with four programs: Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Tennessee will get him on campus. The Rebels already hosted Brame on the weekend of April 12, leaving Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee in the month of June.

After Brame sees all four campuses, he’ll turn around and commit shortly after. He announced on his social media channels that his commitment date is June 29, 2024. The Oregon Ducks are the perceived leader in this one, but Tennessee is determined to make up ground before he announces his decision.

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Tennessee’s 2025 Recruiting Class

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