A growing number of Bonnaroovians are choosing to experience the festival substance-free, and in this episode of The What Podcast, we catch up with Patrick Whelan, founder of Soberoo. Soberoo has been a part of Bonnaroo since its inception and has grown into Harmonium Inc., a nonprofit that now supports sober spaces at festivals and concerts nationwide. Patrick shares his personal journey to sobriety and the transformative role live music played in his recovery. Whether you're in recovery or curious about trying a "Sober Saturday" on The Farm, Soberoo provides invaluable resources and support for a substance-free festival experience.

We also dive into the Bonnaroo 2025 lineup, spotlighting standout acts like King Gizzard's innovative three-night residency and the increasing availability of non-alcoholic options like Athletic Brewing. Plus, we hear from our audience as they share their lineup picks during our ticket giveaway. Also, be sure and join The What Podcast for a special meetup and live episode on The How Stage inside Planet Roo at 4:00 PM on Thursday during Bonnaroo! Lastly, Bryan Stone doubles down on his take that the 2025 lineup is better than the 2020 lineup. Do you agree? Join our Discord and share your thoughts! https://discord.gg/zShHTeCYGn

Listen to our full interview with Patrick here, or watch the episode on YouTube. Do us a solid and like and review The What Podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:05:58) Interview with Patrick Whelan of Soberoo

(01:12:34) Gov Ball lineup

(01:15:48) Contest entries

(01:24:15) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

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

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