Feeling like summer came and went too fast? Didn’t get a chance to truly “leave” the city? Here’s a way to extend your summer just a little longer, and it includes being immersed in nature, roasting s’mores over a campfire and seeing a bunch of buzzworthy bands play. Oh, and there’s also free booze.
The Brooklyn-based media and events collective The Wild Honey Pie presents their fifth annual Welcome Campers, a summer camp-themed, boutique music festival in Western Massachusetts September 8 – 10.
For $200 regular admission, campers will receive free meals and drink, food truck access, lodging for the entire weekend, summer camp activities including kayaking and nature hikes, as well as exclusive performances from emerging artists like Overcoats, Wilder Maker, Siv Jakobsen and Future Generations. For an additional $50, round-trip buses are provided from McCarren Park to the on-site location at Camp Lenox.
“We see people coming back time and time again to our events, sometimes three or four years in a row,” The Wild Honey Pie founder/CEO Eric Weiner tells Bushwick Daily. (Make sure to check out our coverage of the first year’s camp.)
“People are sick and tired of going to these long music festivals…and waiting in lines for food. We want to provide something more comfortable and better, and think we can do that. We are doing the best we can to make it a polished experience; it’s not quite DIY, but at the same time it’s very organic and authentic.”
With a 200-person sell-out capacity, the exclusivity of Welcome Campers additionally allows fans to get closer to emerging artists than other opportunities could possibly allow. “This is about finding an incredible caliber of artists, before they’ve really broken through and allowing fans to get it early and build that genuine relationship, so they can say, ‘I saw them first, I saw them by a campfire,” Weiner explains.
Judging from The Wild Honey Pie’s performance alumni, which include Lucius, Alt J, Cage The Elephant and Daughter, it seems that music fans should really take Weiner’s word for this one.
“It’s not about finding listeners, but finding fans and building these genuine relationships,” Weiner adds. “It’s about creating these moments that you’ll have for the rest of your life…where you’re sitting around a campfire, listening to these artists and hanging out with them. Enjoying the beauty of nature together. It feels like this is why music exists. It feels like people are sharing their art, and it’s being appreciated in a way that’s memorable.”
When asked about his favorite part about curating The Wild Honey Pie’s flagship event, Eric says it’s meeting the campers. “These are genuine relationships that are built throughout the weekend. People at a major music festival are there with their friends, in their bubbles. It’s too big to really go out and kind of spread your wings in a way. That being said, it’s just so encouraged at Welcome Campers.”
Aside from their summer flagship event, The Wild Honey Pie has hosted events in Bushwick in the past, including Spooky Mansion at the Paperbox and The Beehive at Northside Festival. Expect more immersive events coming this fall to the Brooklyn community that range from dinner parties, printmaking workshops and cooking classes—all paired with a musical performance.
For more information on Welcome Campers and how to purchase tickets, visit The Wild Honey Pie. In the meantime, Welcome Campers artist Siv Jakobsen created a ‘Morning in the woods‘ Spotify playlist exclusively for Bushwick Daily readers. Enjoy!
All photos courtesy The Wild Honey Pie.