Dirtybird Campout isn’t just the closest thing to adult summer camp – it’s the most pure, unadulterated fun I’ve had at a music festival. There’s a dizzying amount of games, activities, workshops and other extracurriculars to fill the days and nights with beyond the stellar curation of music – and even after those all ended, renegade stages in the campgrounds kept the party going through morning until official programming resumed. Team games and competitions like dodgeball, the reservoir floatie race, the water balloon toss and an obstacle course rallied team spirit and got the heart beating vigorously, while yoga, a gymnastics class, archery and kayaking offered more flexible and relaxing ways to be active.
Claude’s Cabin almost always had something wacky and ridiculously entertaining going on, typically highly interactive with numerous opportunities for campers to participate and showcase their special skills and personalities. The Lovebirds Dating Show grew increasingly over-the-top with each round of contestants, the talent show ranged from cringe to bizarre to astounding, and Lapdance For Your Life went so incomprehensibly off-the-rails I can’t even describe what went down. The Great American Bingo Revival pulled out all the stops with go-go-dancer spectacle, hilarious hosting and major prizes – including a sailboat and a go-kart. And then there was Frick Frack Blackjack, where high-stakes item-betting created major fanfare, especially when Claude VonStroke himself gambled at the table.
The smaller size of boutique fests offer far more intimate vibes and a greater sense of community with fellow attendees, which was abundantly evident amongst the Dirtybird flock. Key to the magnificence of Campout is all the silliness, costumes, totems, gifts, gags and creativity everyone brings with them – the trading of unique patches being one of the staples of Campout culture. All weekend long I felt like I was constantly meeting memorable characters, reconnecting with friends from Campout 2019, and building satisfying new friendships with people I’d run into again and again, leaving my heart overflowing with joy. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the summer.
Check out the Dirtybird shenanigans in my photo gallery below.
