Bonnaroo 2022 drives Airbnb traffic to Manchester, Tennessee

Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

As thousands flock to Manchester, Tennessee, for Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, local Airbnbs are set to host guests from across the nation.

A typical host made nearly $1,000 during the last Bonnaroo weekend in June 2019, Airbnb spokesperson Haven Thorn told The Tennessean. He expects this year's festival to match or outpace that number.

The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, organizers called it off last-minute when heavy rain and mud made the festival grounds impossible to navigate.

"As big events come back this year, there really is a pent-up demand," Thorn said.

Manchester is currently trending on search traffic on the Airbnb website, according to Thorn. He also said guests are traveling from far and wide to Manchester.

Here's a look at the top origin cities:

  • Kansas City, Missouri

  • Franklin, Tennessee

  • Tracy, California

  • Grand Forks, North Dakota

  • Bloomington, Indiana

  • Orlando, Florida

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico

  • St. Louis, Missouri

  • Fresno, California

  • Colorado Springs, Colorado

"Bonnaroo is a wonderful opportunity for hosts in Manchester to open up their homes and welcome guests to earn much-needed supplemental income," Thorn said.

Bonnaroo Airbnb bookings part of a larger trend

Thorn said Manchester experienced a 70% surge in search traffic on the Airbnb website over the last few months. A quick search of Airbnb listings shows only a handful of places still available for the weekend — some of which include campsites with tents set up — within a 20 minute drive from festival grounds.

Manchester is also part of a bigger trend of small towns and rural areas seeing more Airbnbs pop up and an increase in bookings in the last few years.

In 2021, hosts in Manchester collectively earned over $330,000. Nationwide bookings for rural areas increased by 110% during that same time, netting $3.5 billion for hosts.

That may be due in part to the pandemic creating flexible work schedules and remote work options, Thorn said. But business is still booming for locations off the beaten path. Airbnb guests have already planned stays in more than 72,000 small towns and rural areas for the summer ahead.

More Bonnaroo 2022 news

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bonnaroo 2022: Airbnb traffic hits Manchester, TN for festival