Beginning Thursday, June 7, a swarm of more than 70,000 music lovers began descending upon a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn. for one reason and one reason alone: Bonnaroo.

What do you get when you mix tons of stages, tents, music lovers, sunscreen, some of the best bands around and very few showers?

Yep, it’s time for Bonnaroo again, and that means that more than 70,000 diehard music fans are making their way to the 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn. that’s about to be transformed into a giant outdoor, multi-stage venue and campsite all rolled into one.

Maybe you’re dying to be there this year and just can’t make it, or perhaps you’re trying to get as far away from the Woodstock-esque ‘Roo and just thinking about it makes you want to wash your hands. Whether you would describe the four-day fest as glorious or simply germ-ridden, you can’t deny the sheer volume of incredible live music that’s about to be unleashed on its stages.

For this reason, we’re offering up our Summer 2012 Bonnaroo Playlist to get you through the weekend. One of the truest beauties of the Tennessee festival is its role as a platform for the discovery of some of the hottest new bands on the music scene, as well as its place as a time to hear well-established acts.

Even if you’re headed down to Manchester this weekend but are still packing your gear, you can take this playlist as a road trip mixtape to gear you up for Bonnaroo 2012 in all its beautiful (and admittedly filthy) glory.

1. Foster the People – “Helena Beat”

2. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”

3. The Staves – “Mexico”

4. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

5. Tune-Yards – “Bizness”

6. Ben Howard – “Old Pine”

7. Moon Taxi – “All the Rage”

8. Laura Marling – “My Manic and I”

9. Fitz & The Tantrums – “MoneyGrabber”

10. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”

11. Infamous Stringdusters – “Don’t Mean Nothin’”

12. Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”