Episodes Featuring Hinterland (festival)

Despite Bonnaroo's cancellation this year, fans persevere and call in to share what makes the festival so special: freedom, life-changing connections, and more. But first, The What Podcast crew celebrates a big milestone. Thank you for 2,000 YouTube subscribers! Fresh off last week's in-depth interview with Brad Parker and Cory Smith about Bonnaroo 2026 plans, we dive into the heartfelt listener voicemails, reflect on the 2025 shutdown aftermath, talk transparency, programming changes, and more. Read More

In this episode of The What Podcast, the hosts sit down with Sam Summers, the founder of Iowa's Hinterland Festival, for a deep dive into the art (and chaos) of modern festival production. From booking Fall Out Boy in college to launching Hinterland in 2015, Sam walks us through his journey from DIY club shows to managing a 20,000-attendee outdoor event that has weathered literal floods and the fury of the internet. Read More

What started as a simple icebreaker at music festivals has blossomed into the Bonnaroo Yearbook, a one-of-a-kind community art project created by photographer Caleb Arias. Caleb's journey began when he brought a journal to his first festival and invited others to sign it. By the time he attended Bonnaroo, he discovered its unparalleled sense of community and decided to publish the Bonnaroo Yearbook to share and celebrate the memories he'd collected. Read More