"June 2027 will certainly feel different without it," Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs said after Bonnaroo announced on Friday, Aug. 21, that it would skip next year. The festival's organizers said back-to-back storm years had left The Farm, and especially the main venue, needing time to recover. They said that was still true after they put in improved drainage, 4.5 miles of new roadways and 135 acres of new grass before the 2026 festival.
So the biggest weekend on the Coffee County calendar is off for a year. What's left is a set of events that are almost all locally run, most of them older than the festival, and grouped tightly enough this fall that a handful of dates carry most of the season.
What A Year Off Actually Removes
WKRN reported that the festival brings 80,000 to 90,000 people to Manchester. Bonnaroo has been held there for 24 years, and the city rents out its event center to the festival for a week. Hobbs said that's "going to be very disruptive to some of those businesses in the coming year." He also said the biggest loss is for local charities, since nonprofit groups staff many of the beverage booths on the grounds. WSMV reported his specific concern for nonprofits and youth leagues that raise money working festival concessions. He asked businesses to treat 2027 as an off year, with the June bump coming back in 2028.
Set the fall calendar against that. Not one of the events below brings in tens of thousands of visitors. They're run by a fire department, two state parks, an aviation museum, a winery and a Chamber of Commerce. On the oldest of them, Bonnaroo's whole history looks short. The season got going yesterday, Saturday, Oct. 3. South Jackson Performing Arts Center held its ninth annual Oktoberfest at 404 S. Jackson St. in Tullahoma, and Manchester held Old Timers Day the same day. Next comes the most crowded stretch of the fall.
Thursday, Oct. 8, Through Saturday, Oct. 10
Six separate events fall within three days, at an airport, two state parks and a winery:
- Oct. 8–10, Beech Party at Tullahoma Regional Airport. This is the Beechcraft Heritage Museum's annual aviation gathering, at 570 Old Shelbyville Highway. The museum's notice is an announcement only, so check the full schedule before you go.
- Thursday, Oct. 8, 4:30–6 p.m., Fireside Thursday at Tims Ford State Park. Dutch-oven enchiladas at Shelter No. 2.
- Friday, Oct. 9, 3–4 p.m., Pinecone Bird Feeders at the Tims Ford Nature Center.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 10–11 a.m., Beaded Frogs at the Tims Ford Nature Center.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, noon–5 p.m., Fall Market at Beans Creek Winery. The market is with ECK Jewelry Designs at 426 Ragsdale Road in Manchester.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 6–8:15 p.m., New Moon Kayak Float at Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park. Paddlers meet at the boat launch.
The Saturday times barely overlap. A morning craft at Tims Ford, an afternoon at Beans Creek and an evening float at Old Stone Fort all fit in one day. Old Stone Fort needs volunteers a week later too. The Friends of Old Stone Fort workday starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the museum.
Halloween Is Concentrated In One Manchester Evening
Manchester's two confirmed Halloween events are on the same Friday, a few hours apart. The Manchester Fire Department brings back Safe on the Square on Friday, Oct. 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. Participating businesses and vendors will be on the downtown square with candy, photos and prizes.
That evening, the city's free Haunted House opens at the Ada Wright Building, 328 N. Woodland St. It runs 7 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 31, with food trucks, music and candy. A family can do the square in the afternoon, eat, and get in line at the Ada Wright Building when the doors open. If Friday is too packed, Saturday the 31st offers the Haunted House alone.
A Parade That Started Decades Before The Festival
Tullahoma's Christmas Parade turns 70 this year. Bonnaroo has been in Manchester for 24. The parade runs on the first Friday in December, which is Dec. 4 this year. It goes from 7 to 8 p.m., starting at the Chamber at 135 W. Lincoln St. and ending at Tullahoma High School.
The theme shows how locally this event is run. Since 2020, the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce has brought Santa to local elementary schools in August to invite theme ideas. A committee of business leaders, CEO Partners and Santa himself reviews hundreds of entries. This year's winning theme is "Stars, Stripes and Christmas Lights," and the winner's school gets a free float. Trent McNabb of the parade committee called it a "great play on America's 250th," the Tullahoma News reported. The parade is sponsored by Stan McNabb Automotive.
There's one deadline this week. Grand marshal nominations close Friday, Oct. 9, and the Grand Marshal Reception is Thursday, Dec. 3, at South Jackson Performing Arts Center.
Old Stone Fort covers the quieter holidays. It has an After Thanksgiving Day Hike on Friday, Nov. 27, and a Christmas Day Hike on Dec. 25, both from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and starting at the museum. The Christmas hike is a 1.4-mile loop.
Dates That Haven't Been Posted Yet
As of the first week of October, these holiday staples didn't have confirmed 2026 dates:
- Tullahoma's Christkindlesmarkt on the town square. The most recent state tourism listing shows the 2025 date, Dec. 6, and says its dates reflect 2025.
- Tullahoma's city tree lighting. It was held at South Jackson Performing Arts Center in past years.
- Manchester's Christmas Parade. The 2024 parade was on a Saturday evening, Nov. 30.
- A Tullahoma trunk-or-treat. Only a 2025 listing turned up.
Past dates suggest the general timing, but they aren't confirmation. The Chamber and city calendars will post these first.
The Everyday Map Is Changing On Its Own Schedule
Hobbs said Bonnaroo crowds spend at Walmart and at restaurants around town. In 2026, the main roads where much of that spending happens have been turning over regardless of the festival. Here's where each change stands:
- Open: Neon Alley Arcade & Bar, 320 W. Lincoln St., Tullahoma. It celebrated its grand opening May 1 with pool, arcade games and menu samples.
- Open: Soul Weavers Aevum, 845 A McArthur St., Manchester. The Manchester Chamber held a ribbon cutting for its grand opening in late June.
- New: a Whitney Herrington mural on East Lincoln Street, Tullahoma. It was reported Oct. 1.
- Closed: Ruby Tuesday, 1936 N. Jackson St., Tullahoma. It had been on Jackson Street since late 1996 and closed the week of Sept. 21. On Sept. 21, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a site plan for a 6,374-square-foot Wawa with 16 fuel pumps that will reuse the existing building after extensive renovation. Mayor Lynn Sebourn said, "We're just glad somebody's coming in bringing a quality product like that." No opening date has been given.
- Scheduled for October: Wawa, 24 Campground Road, Manchester. It's going on the former site of the Arrowheads and Aerospace Museum. The Sept. 24 report gave October as the target. No later report has confirmed that it's open.
- Under construction: Dairy Queen, 215 Woodbury Highway, Manchester. It's across from the Rec Center, beside Dollar General, and the owner is targeting late 2026 or early January 2027.
- Under construction: Coffee County Bank, N. Jackson St., Tullahoma. Ground broke Sept. 29 across from the current branch at 511 N. Jackson St., with completion projected for May 2027. The bank also bought 109 W. Blackwell St.
The bank branch and the Dairy Queen are both due before June 2027, the month the festival would normally return. On the current timelines, both open during the first year in more than two decades with no Bonnaroo on the calendar.
Our team follows Coffee County's openings, closings and site plans because they affect what Tullahoma and Manchester owners can expect from their properties year-round, festival or no festival. If you're thinking about what your home is worth, or whether to keep a rental here, The Scott Zeller Team can provide a free home valuation or management quote based on this local market.
