The first weekend of October in Silverado, CA was marked with EDM-loving adults reconnecting to innocent roots at the first annual Dirtybird Campout. While music festivals are popping up all over the United States, Dirtybird Campout has shown how unique and special music festivals can be. Instead of huge spectacles including pyrotechnics and out-of-this-world stage productions, Dirtybird crew teamed up with the likes of The Do Lab, the Grand Artique, and the Imagination Nation to bring out the inner child in all of us.
Insomniac caught up with Justin Martin to hear from the camp counselor about the festivities:
With activities ranging from kickball to tug-of-war to talent shows and comedy stages, the Campout emulated all things summer camp to facilitate a grown-up community reminiscing on the fresh-faced excitement of that first day of camp.
“The cool thing about Campout was that even if you did not participate and were just watching from the sidelines, the activities were really entertaining … It was just absolute chaos and joy everywhere, all the time.”
Highlighting the traditional summer camp experience was the incredible music selection. From Christian Martin’s sunrise set to Claude van Stroke dropping E-40 at 5 am, the music pumped through the entire campground, allowing people to participate in every activity without ever missing a favorite DJ or set. Campout encouraged strangers to become friends, while Dirtybird legends set the bar for positivity and community.
“I think a lot of new friendships were made. The whole weekend was filled with the most positive feelings. Everywhere you looked, there were giant, ear-to-ear smiles on people’s faces.”
What can the Pacific Northwest learn from the Dirtybird Campout experience? That music festivals still have so much room to grow and evolve. We think an experience like Campout would do extremely well in the great PNW. Just as music has the power to influence our daily life, music festivals tend to stick with us long after the fun-filled weekend ends.
To check out the rest of the dirtybird Campout stories, check out the original interview over at insomniac.
Were you at dirtybird Campout? Do you think a similar festival would do well in the Pacific Northwest? What would be your dream festival?
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