Nashville: Bonnaroo has halted sales for the four-day music festival during the first day of ticket sales because of overwhelming demand and technical problems.

Tickets for the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival were scheduled to go on sale on Saturday, but the event's organisers said on its website that they were suspending the ticket sales.

Organisers said they were trying to fix the problem and would announce by the end of Monday when tickets would go on sale again for the festival, which is held annually in June in Manchester, about 65 miles southeast of Nashville.

This year's lineup includes the reunited Beach Boys, along with Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phish and Bon Iver.