Bonnaroo's New Festival Director Told Us What's Really Changing in 2026

Less than three weeks to Bonnaroo 2026 and we got an exclusive interview with Bonnaroo's new Festival Director Shelby Goodsell and Marketing Manager Cory Smith to give us the most comprehensive inside look at what's changing, what's new, and what to expect on The Farm this year. We cover the Where Stage move, the campsite changes, the new Bonnie Roo's Sports Bar, Thursday's unprecedented all-in-one programming, the Grateful Dead tribute set, bandanas at the toll booths, and much more. If you're going to Bonnaroo 2026 this is the episode you cannot miss.Then don't forget, The What Podcast will be LIVE at Bonnaroo 2026 on the How Stage inside Planet Roo, Thursday at 4PM. Come find us, hug and howdy, and maybe walk away with free giveaways from Lunchbox and an original I Am Bonnaroo print from David Bruce!Listen to this week's episode with Shelby and Cory here or watch it on YouTube. As always, subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get podcasts for weekly updates on Bonnaroo and festival news!______(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:49) Bonnaroo 2026 Outeroo Schedule Revealed(00:06:47) Bonnaroo Radio Returns in 2026(00:12:46) Bonnie Roo's Sports Bar - New for 2026(00:15:54) Bonnaroo Arch Playlist - Fans Choose This Year(00:17:40) Bonnaroo Squeegee King Returns(00:19:50) Interview: Bonnaroo Festival Director Shelby Goodsell & Marketing Manager Cory Smith(01:02:53) The What Podcast LIVE at Bonnaroo 2026 - How Stage, Planet Roo, Thursday 4PM(01:04:12) OutroLINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEStoneOnAir: "Wishlist" on Pearl Jam RadioNoah Kahan Told Us This Before He Was A Bonnaroo HeadlinerBonnaroo's Infamous "Squarch": The Full Story with Tim "Tuba" SmithKen WeinsteinBonnaroo Community Spotlight: How Church Boners Became a Festival FamilyThere Is No Bonnaroo Without Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead______ 🎧 LISTEN LINKS Website: https://thewhatpodcast.com Spotify: https://thewhat.co/spotify Apple Podcasts: https://thewhat.co/applepodcasts YouTube Music: https://thewhat.co/youtubemusic Amazon Music: https://thewhat.co/amazonmusic 📱 SOCIAL LINKS Discord: https://discord.gg/zShHTeCYGn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewhatpodcast X: https://x.com/thewhat_podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhatpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhatpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewhat.co Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thewhatpodcast The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission. Other music provided by Midist and used with permission. We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.