Bonnaroo brings Nashville to campgrounds with 'The Ville' experience

Dave Paulson | The Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption Here's what to expect at Bonnaroo From younger headliners to an eclectic undercard, Bonnaroo 2018 will not disappoint.

Nashville’s a mere 65 miles down the road from the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, and this year, Music City will be a part of the four-day music and camping event like never before.

The festival has partnered with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. to create “The Ville,” an ambitious on-site attraction that will give Bonnaroo attendees a dose of Nashville culture, music and food.

“The Ville” will be set up on the campgrounds — an area that’s being reinvigorated this year with themed areas and curated experiences.

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On top of pop-up performances and DJ sets, attendees will sample Prince’s Hot Chicken, peruse the racks of Third Man Records and check out the work of Fort Houston-affiliated artists, for starters.

In a release, Nashville CVC President and CEO Butch Spyridon said they were excited to “(bring) Nashville’s creative spirit to Bonnaroo.”

“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" is at one of several campground "plazas." The building it's housed in was formerly known as "The Grind."

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Well before “The Ville,” 2018 was already set to be a big year for Nashville at Bonnaroo. The Grand Ole Opry is making its debut at the festival this year, and Sturgill Simpson, Sheryl Crow, Brothers Osborne and Paramore will all perform on its biggest stage.

Bonnaroo takes place June 7-10 in Manchester.

Here’s a rundown of what visitors to “The Ville” can look forward to:

Music

“The Ville” promises pop-up performances throughout the weekend, plus representatives from Nashville radio stations Lightning 100, WSM and 102.1 The Ville.

The biggest draw will almost undoubtedly be R&B/hip-hop hitmaker T-Pain, who will host a late-night karaoke session. (“The Ville” isn’t letting the fact that he’s based in Atlanta stand in the way of a good time.)

Other highlights include a Saturday morning Open Mic hosted by Okey Dokey; and DJ sets from Sparkle City Disco, Jake Orrall of Earthbound Sound, and Profesoras and DJ Astrobrooke.

Food

Prince’s Hot Chicken and Farm to Taco Nashville are the first two local food spots confirmed to be part of “The Ville.” 8th and Roast also will sell a “Bonnaroo Blend” coffee, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Bonnaroo Works Fund.

Art

The art portion of “The Ville” is curated and presented by Fort Houston. It will include an interactive installation from multimedia artist Mike Kluge, plus sculptures, textiles and puppets from Jamin, Brett Douglas Hunter, Alex Lockwood and Yanira Vissepó.

Pop-up shops

Third Man Records will have a “unique booth” with rare vinyl and other items. Project 615 will offer an exclusive Bonnaroo shirt, and longtime East Nashville vintage clothing shop Hip Zipper also will be on site.

Comedy

Not much of a local angle here, but Bonnaroo has booked many of its top comedy performers to make appearances at The Ville each day from 5 to 6 p.m. Comedians include Sheng Wang, Martin Urbano, Taylor Tomlinson, Drennon Davis, Jon Gabrus, Shane Torres and Michelle Buteau.