Bonnaroo really does change lives, and today's talk with Caleb Arias, aka The Bonnaroo Yearbook Guy, proves it once again. From being too nervous to talk to strangers at his first festival to becoming one of the most recognized creators in the festival community, Caleb walks us through the moment everything shifted. He explains how a simple journal turned into the Bonnaroo Yearbook, how that idea exploded across Hulaween and Okeechobee, and how documenting festival culture helped him find confidence, connection, and purpose.

We also dive into the massive growth of the Yearbook project, the behind‑the‑scenes work that goes into each book, the emotional fallout of Bonnaroo 2025, what we're looking forward to at Bonnaroo 2026, and Caleb's new collaboration with the festival itself. Finally, Caleb sticks around for a little bit of vinyl talk, where we show off some of our most valuable records from our collections.

Get your very own copy of The Bonnaroo Yearbook at 50% using coupon code THEWHATPODCAST: bonnarooyearbook.com

Listen to this week's episode 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!

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(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:17) Caleb the Bonnaroo Yearbook Guy joins

(00:19:22) Origin story

(00:32:54) Thoughts on this year's lineup

(00:36:09) How to get a yearbook

(00:47:30) Bonnaroo adds 2-day ticket options

(01:06:25) Our most valuable vinyl records

(01:21:31) Outro

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

The Bonnaroo Yearbook: Capturing Festival Memories

bonnarooyearbook.com

Okay...We Were Wrong About Geese

Bonnaroo 2026: Brad & Cory from C3 Answer Your Questions

Catching Up with I am Bonnaroo Creator David Bruce

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

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