Bonnaroo Introduces THE VILLE Experience With Visit Music City

The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is teaming up with The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp's Visit Music City to present The Ville, an all-new experience dedicated to celebrating Nashville's unique history, music, art, food and more at the 2018 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Set to feature more than 150 diverse musical artists, this year's edition of the world-renowned four-day multi-stage camping festival will take placeJune 7-10 on The Farm at Great Stage Park, the spectacular 700-acre event space located 60 miles southeast of Nashville in Manchester, TN.

"We are excited to continue to expand our partnership by bringing Nashville's creative spirit to Bonnaroo with the Ville," said Butch Spyridon, President and CEO, Nashville CVC. "The Nashville creative scene is exploding, and by sharing a taste of it with Bonnaroovians from all over the world, we hope that we can not only enhance the attendees' experience at the festival but also entice them to visit Nashville and see the city first-hand."

The Ville offers Bonnaroovians a chance to experience the lesser-known aspects of Nashville. This mini Music City on The Farm will host an array of music, food, art, apparel, and comedy specifically curated and inspired by Nashville. Fans will be able to enjoy musical pop-up performances and artist appearances along with representatives from Nashville radio stations WRLT, Lightning 100, 102.1, The Ville and The Grand Ole Opry's flagship, WSM 650 AM. Other highlights include a Saturday morning Open Mic hosted by Okey Dokey; DJ sets from Sparkle City Disco, Jake Orall of Earthbound Sound, Profesoras and DJ Astrobrooke; and Late Night Karaoke (Feat. T-Pain).

"102.1 THE VILLE is excited about our partnership with Bonnaroo and the opportunity to bring Nashville Soul to the Bonnaroo farm," says Shannon Sanders, GRAMMY® Award Winning Producer and Program Director of 102.1 THE VILLE. "It's important for us to continue to support the local soul and R&B creators of Music City. By being a part of THE VILLE at Bonnaroo, we are positioned to do just that. Bonnaroo, like 102.1 THE VILLE, is all about the road to music discovery, while celebrating those who have paved the way."

"For 15 years, Lightning 100 (Nashville's Independent Radio) has brought the Bonnaroo experience to Nashville by dedicating four days to exclusive live programming from the festival's backstage with artist interviews, performances and festival commentary, as well as partnering with Bonnaroo on the successful 'Road to Roo' campaign to discover and curate local talent for the festival stages," says Gary Kraen, VP Operations & Programming. "This year, it gets even better because, on top of all of that, at the Ville, Bonnaroovians will get a chance to experience the Lightning 100 brand, our 28-year history with middle Tennessee and our take on 'all things Nashville' through local artist performances, team Lightning social activities, artist meet and greets and much more."

And, as previously announced, the Grand Ole Opry, the show that made country music famous, will stage its first-ever show from Bonnaroo on Sunday, June 10.

Bonnaroo and Nashville have long enjoyed a close relationship, including such partnerships as dedicated daily, round-trip Nashville-to-The Farm shuttles and the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority's (MNAA) Arts at the Airport, co-sponsored by the Bonnaroo Works Fund.

The Ville will offer up a number of inimitable Bonnaroo experiences, including:

• Food: The Ville will showcase foods beloved and inspired by Nashville including the world famous Prince's Hot Chicken, Farm to Taco Nashville, and much more. In addition, The Ville Café will see 8th and Roast selling a hand-selected small batch "Bonnaroo Blend," with a portion of all proceeds benefitting the Bonnaroo Works Fund.

• Art: Curated and presented by Nashville makerspace and arts collective Fort Houston, The Ville will show work from many of Nashville's finest new artists, including "Consonance & Chaos," an interactive installation by East Nashville-based multimedia artist Mike Kluge. Other artists to exhibit their original and often unprecedented works include puppet artist Jamin, sculptor Brett Douglas Hunter and Alex Lockwood, and textile artist Yanira Vissepó.

• Pop-Up Shops: The one and only Third Man Records will present a unique booth in The Ville, offering rare vinyl and much more. Nashville-based apparel company Project 615 will be selling an exclusive Bonnaroo-curated T-shirt, and, Hip Zipper, Nashville's Original Vintage Clothing Store, will also be on-site to offer reasonably priced uniquely eclectic discoveries.

• Comedy: The Ville will host comedy sets from 5-6pm daily, featuring appearances from Sheng Wang, Martin Urbano, Taylor Tomlinson, Drennon Davis, Jon Gabrus, Shane Torres, Michelle Buteau, and more. Additional comedy sets will be held on the Main Stages as well as Centeroo's beloved Snake & Jake's Christmas Club Barn - please see the official Bonnaroo Schedule for details.

"Being based in Nashville, we get to see all of the creativity behind Music City -- the visual and experimental art, not just the music," says Ryan Schemmel, co-founder of Fort Houston. "We're excited about shining a light on some of our city's best up-and-coming creatives with Bonnaroo at The Ville."

All ticket types and accommodations are available now HERE. Bonnaroo's signature ticket and camping combo remains one of the most cost-effective packages, rewarding fans with a completely unique and immersive experience in the legendary Bonnaroo Campgrounds.

For more, please see www.bonnaroo.com.

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