MANCHESTER, Tenn. (WTVF) — A near-record-setting number of people are expected for this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Fans arrive en masse. And, as always, that's a crowd control challenge. The Coffee County Sheriff's Office shared an exclusive look at working at one of the biggest music festivals in the world.
It is certainly an annual pilgrimage with thousands of people coming from all around the country here to Manchester for Bonnaroo.
And the first thing is going through security.
No drug-sniffing dogs or metal detectors, but each and every vehicle gets a perfunctory check for contraband.
Several knives and other weapons were confiscated ...
"Yeah, we found handguns. People forget to secure them at home."
Sheriff's detective Billy Butler said the weapons are returned when the people leave.
Not so for any illegal drugs which are disposed of. Butler said drugs these days are different at Bonnaroo.
"The drug culture here at this festival has changed. It's evolved from low-level THC to high-level THC. You got Molly. You got mushrooms."
The concern is more potent drugs. Deputies stand by for emergency calls and hear this on the scanner:
"We have a 9-1-1 open line check out the area to make sure everything is 10-4."
It turns out that was one of several false alarms from an iPhone from its new crash Detection Mode feature. Police ask Bonnaroo guests to deactivate it so lines stay open for potential fentanyl overdoses.
To that end, there is a free Naloxone booth on the farm with one of the longer lines.
The place is already packed.
"They have a lot of day parking. I want to say they opened another area for day parking too," said Deputy Dan Ray.
But for the sheriff's office, it's all about safety.
"The sheriff's department is worried about their security and the security of the community here," said Butler.
Bonnaroo organizers cleverly opened the grounds this past Tuesday for people to arrive which substantially reduced the amount of traffic.
Attendance this year is expected to approach 80,000 people.
