$element(bwcore,article_slideshow,33338,,,620,450)$

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is preparing for tens of thousands of music fans to descend on Tennessee in neighboring Manchester.

Troopers will be on the job 24 hours a day to ensure the roads stay safe, patrolling both the ground and air.

Last year during Bonnaroo 2016, troopers logged nearly 6,900 man-hours, worked 13 traffic crashes and wrote 626 citations.

Meanwhile, the festival is at a crossroads as organizers deal with last year's plummeting ticket sales while engaging in talks to extend their agreement with Coffee County.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the festival's current deal to pay Coffee County $30,000 plus $3 per ticket sold is set to expire after this year's festival. Ticket sales at the festival fell by 28,000 in 2016, reaching an all-time low of 45,553.

Ashley Capps, whose company AC Entertainment co-founded the festival, contends the festival landscape has become more competitive, but says ticket sales are up this year. Bonnaroo will begin this Thursday and run through Sunday. Bonnaroo is now run by Live Nation.

SOURCE: WMSR