We made our way to Dirtybird Campout West in Modesto, California this last weekend, and it was well worth the drive. Being Dirtybird and house fans is helpful, but honestly you could be a fan of any music and find something to enjoy. While there was great music all day and night, there were a ton of activities to enjoy as well.
Here are the top 10 things Dirtybird Campout West did right!
1. Activities
It was just a big adult camp. There were a variety of games and challenges that you could do with fellow attendees daily! Some activities included, archery, corn hole, badminton, yoga and much more.
2. Security Presence
Entering the venue, around the venue and in camp were a number of sheriffs. They patrolled the area and were around if needed. It was comforting. We also loved the venue, so we hope that their good report back will help our chances of Dirtybird being back there.
3. Tickets are all inclusive, except for food.
With your ticket purchase, you were able to do all of the activities without paying extra; meaning you could do bingo, paddle board, archery, totem carving, kyacs, tug a war, tie dye as a part of your experience! The ticket got you more than just music and camping.
4. Additional Transportation
They had a number of bicycles rides that you could pay to take you to your campsite, or another activity/stage. The decorated bikes played music and held between 4 and 6 people.
5. Campgrounds
Instead of making a campsite or festival area, they took an already established campground and made a festival. There were real bathrooms along with porta potties, showers, and areas for camping already setup. Having bathrooms, showers, and a number of activities already established made their job easier and our experience more enjoyable.
6. The Chance to Meet Your Favorite Artists
Each of the activities is led by one of the Dirtybird Players themselves. You could go jogging with Justin Martin, do yoga with Omnom, watch a talent show judged by Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, and Walker & Royce. We saw a number of DJs walking to sets, playing games, and supporting each other on stage. It definitely has a community environment!
7. They were quick to fix weak spots
It seemed that they would notice areas that were weak, and quickly fix them. For example, there was an area that had high traffic, but no refill station. The next day, there was a refill station.
8. Lines were pretty much nonexistent
The longest line we noticed was for the silent disco, and they still busted through it. They knew we were there for the music, not to stand in line. Making things available in a number of spots made everyone’s experience better.
9. Trust and respect
There was a genuine respect between attendees, security, the town, DJs, sheriffs, and so forth. From what we could see, people were showing respectful behavior, and nothing got too out of control. We were never inappropriately searched coming in and out of the venue, or felt unwelcome. Thank you Dirty Bird Campout for trusting your attendees, while coordinating with the surrounding community; hopefully you received respect in return.
10. They Kept the party going after the music stopped
Though the big music stopped at 2AM, there were still a number of things you could do after. There was bingo (where someone won a car!), people were holding after parties at their camps, and there was the silent disco that happened every night with a number of DJs. If you wanted, you could dance for 15 hours a day! They respected the towns curfew, while supplying a number of activity options for those that wanted to keep going all night.
This festival was on our bucket list to attend, and it was better than we expected! But, don’t take our word for it, check it out next year. We will definitely be going back!
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