Earlier this month, fun-filled DirtyBird Campout Festival was a smash hit in its second year. The event, which took place on October 7-9, 2016 in Silverado, California, is an extremely unique and wonderful experience. The entire festival is summer camp themed, and visitors young and old had a great time participating in a variety of activities that accompanied the wonderful lineup.
Dirtybird’s Awesome Lineup
Of course, the weekend included a lineup that was as impressive as the festival’s activity list. It included headliners such as Reggie Watts, Claude Vonstroke, and Green Velvet. There were also plenty of other talented artists that performed wonderful sets that included Christian Martin, Ardalan, Shiba San, Walker and Royce, and many more!
The Idea Behind the Unique DirtyBird Campout
DirtyBird is special as it allows all ages to re-experience the best of the their childhood summer camp memories while enjoying all the wonderful aspects that a music festival environment provides. Counselor Claude VonStroke, one of the DirtyBird Campout’s organizers, describes the idea behind this special event. He quotes,”You can just walk around, and there will be lots of funny things happening that you can just fall into. That’s really what it is…I really like the festival to bring all the different kinds of fans we have together, all to listen to really good music, but not take any of it too seriously, and just enjoy themselves.”
Its organizers were thorough to make the festival as fun, weird and memorable, all while affording guests a trip back into childhood. Aside from the soundtrack of fantastic live music, visitors had a plethora of summer-camp like activities where they could participate.
The gorgeous Oak Canyon Park hosted this celebration. This location was ideal for such a celebratory festival, as a lake and tress provide not only a beautiful setting for the weekend, but also enhance the summer-camp theme experience. Furthermore, space is small enough that it encouraged visitors to interact with each other and make new friends, just like a real camp!
The gorgeous Oak Canyon Park
Activities, Games, and Entertainment Galore
Aside from the wonderful soundtrack of incredible live music, there were a plethora of activities that guests could engage in. Such activities included free form games, color games, and even a scavenger hunt!
Examples of some of the exhilarating free-form activities were favorites like archery, cornhole, volleyball, ping-pong, a dunk tank, and many more. There were also row boats available for rental!
Row boat fun!
The scavenger hunt was also a visitor favorite. Teams of 2-5 people had to complete a series of tasks to receive points. Each task had an allotted amount of points. At the end of the weekend the team with the most points were prized with passes to next year’s festivities!
Another highlight of DirtyBird Campout were the color games. Guests who signed up for this awesome event were assigned to a color team, all who had a team leader. The purple, orange, red, and green teams had to compete in a series of various games. Teams had to compete in activities like a nighttime game of capture the flag, a dodgeball tournament, tug of war, and a water balloon toss! Only one team could win. This year, it was the red team that took home the glory of sweet victory.
Red Team Wins!
To top of off the hilarious and memorable schedule of fun and games, visitors could also participate in yoga sessions. However, in tune with the wacky aesthetic of DirtyBird, a group of T-Rex’s joined one of the sessions on Sunday morning! What could be better that combing comedy and relaxation?
The Artists Joined the Fun
At DirtyBird the unthinkable happens. The artists join the fun. Counselor Claude VonStroke shared that wanted the artists to feel just as welcome to enjoy the festivities as the other guests. He also doesn’t see why there should be a separation between musician and music lover. He is quoted sharing this idea, ” I think the artists are just regular people and it’s almost impossible to see everyone having a blast without wanting to take part in some of it…Everyone is out in the festival having fun and hanging out. We put a lot of emphasis on going out into the party itself.”
The Bunkhouse
Lastly, another popular and wacky attraction which kept visitors engulfed in old-fashion fun was the Bunkhouse. Here, a variety of events took place where the performers and audience were equal participants in the hysterics. A talent show, beat boxing competition, an open mic session, and late night karaoke were just a few of the exciting activities that were enjoyed by all. One of the favorites was a lap dance musical chair competition!
Camping in Style
What also made DirtyBird Campout so welcoming was its accessibility to all different levels of comfort for visitors. Guests who were not big fans of the classic tent-camping style were given the opportunity to glamp: glamourous camp. These glamping sights were beautiful tents set up with a full bed, carpeting, private bathrooms, and even an end table. This area, known as Camp Kodiak, truly provided the comforts of home while still providing the authentic camping experience.
To Conclude
DirtyBird Campout is an incredibly unique and special festival. Its combination of awesome music, exhilarating activities, comedy, hysterics, and focus on community building makes it a gem in a sea of music festivals. One thing is clear from this 2016’s celebrations, this is clearly event that should not be missed.
FestPop San Francisco Staff Writer Mandy Losk