[PREVIEW] Everything you need to know about Summer Camp (May 22-25 - Chillicothe, IL)
Published: May 1, 2014
By: Ellie Salrin
Every year, children celebrate their Last Day of School. They get to splash around in the sprinkler and spend days at the pool. They get excited for their trip to summer camp with all their friends. Well, not much has changed in that regard, even though we may be “grown up” and going to college or working. Every year, us midwest Indigo Children (and people from all over this country we call ‘Merica!) look forward to a four-day getaway, a gathering of all our friends for a weekend of rambunctious play. Oh, and impeccable music.
Summer Camp Music Festival typically smashes it on the annual with their lineup of hot bass artists, huge names in the jam band, blues, and rock genres, up-and-coming artists from all over the map, and old favorites you couldn’t imagine the festival without. Their 14th year is no exception. In just a few weeks, May 22-25, we’ll be treated to epic bands like Umphrey’s McGee, Primus, Trey Anastasio, Slightly Stoopid, Blues Traveler, Lettuce, and Yonder Mountain String Band just to name a few.
Untz-tastic artists you’ll have to artfully craft your schedule around seeing include Bassnectar, Gramatik, MiMOSA, EOTO, Beats Antique, Lotus, UZ, Figure, Wolfgang Gartner, Bro Safari, The M Machine (Live), and KOAN Sound. There’s over 100 performances this year, and Camp’s advantage is that the seven stages are within reasonable walking distance from each other, unlike some of the larger festivals with half hour walks between stages.
Experience
The vibe of the festival is that of 15,000 of your closest friends. Clowning and laughing all day by sunlight, adventuring the glowing, vibrant grounds and dancing like no one’s watching by moonlight. There is a combination of wooded trails and open fields. The main stage is perfectly placed at the bottom of a smooth, sloping hill so that even the shortest lil festivalgoers (this girl right here) can see the stage from whatever spot your crew holds down.
The Soulshine Tent is home for exploration. There are workshops like yoga and hooping, glassblowing demonstrations, ecological education, and more, in addition to live sets throughout the weekend. Summer Camp has a stellar system of recycling, with color-coded recycling, composting, and garbage bins and Green Team members to help you decipher. Don’t forget Sunrise Kickball on Saturday with Stasik of Umphrey’s!
Tickets
Three-day general admission passes are currently available for $214.50. This includes camping and music. If you want to come on Thursday (there will be music all day and night), pre-party passes are available for $30.00. Sunday-only one-day passes are currently available for $75.00.
VIP upgrades at Camp provide lots of perks. For one, you have the VIP lounge, filled with couches and poofs to lounge on and filled with eclectic decor. There are special VIP-only performances, as well as discounted drink prices. You’ll also get preferred camping and parking. The options range from $200 to $1,000, so check out the VIP page to see if any fit in your budget.
Tricks of the Trade
- Check out our Top 10 Acts to Catch for some artists you may not know about! Also be sure to stop by The Floozies, Exmag, Russ Liquid, Break Science, SuperVision, and winner of The Untz Challenge V, Filibusta. Hey guys, it’s hard to narrow it down to just ten.
- Roam! Even if you’re by yourself. Wander the grounds because there are so many hidden treasures. There is a pirate ship, a Grassroots dome, and lots of attendee-built structures to explore all nestled in the woods. There is a sound cart that peruses the grounds at night you’ll have to see to believe.
- The end of May seems like it should be a nice pleasant 70 degree weekend in mid-Illinois. But the weather can be cruel...it has been heat indexes of 100 degrees (bring sunscreen and shade), and has been cold, rainy, and flooded (bring rain boots and a parka). Come preparado and you will care about what time it is and where the Starshine stage is, rather than sweating the wrath of Mother Earth.
- The festival grounds are located on Illinois Route 29. There are police all along this road and they search if they pull you over, so play it safe and smart.
Late Night
There are plenty of late night options. The Red Barn will host Lotus, Beats Antique, Manic Focus, Gramatik, EOTO, and more. There are limited tickets, however there are plenty of other late-night options including the Vibe Tent with Wick-It the Instigator, Dirt Monkey, Figure, and Russ Liquid.
Every year, children celebrate their Last Day of School. They get to splash around in the sprinkler and spend days at the pool. They get excited for their trip to summer camp with all their friends. Well, not much has changed in that regard, even though we may be “grown up” and going to college or working. Every year, us midwest Indigo Children (and people from all over this country we call ‘Merica!) look forward to a four-day getaway, a gathering of all our friends for a weekend of rambunctious play. Oh, and impeccable music.Summer Camp Music Festival typically smashes it on the annual with their lineup of hot bass artists, huge names in the jam band, blues, and rock genres, up-and-coming artists from all over the map, and old favorites you couldn’t imagine the festival without. Their 14th year is no exception. In just a few weeks, May 22-25, we’ll be treated to epic bands like Umphrey’s McGee, Primus, Trey Anastasio, Slightly Stoopid, Blues Traveler, Lettuce, and Yonder Mountain String Band just to name a few.
Untz-tastic artists you’ll have to artfully craft your schedule around seeing include Bassnectar, Gramatik, MiMOSA, EOTO, Beats Antique, Lotus, UZ, Figure, Wolfgang Gartner, Bro Safari, The M Machine (Live), and KOAN Sound. There’s over 100 performances this year, and Camp’s advantage is that the seven stages are within reasonable walking distance from each other, unlike some of the larger festivals with half hour walks between stages.
ExperienceThe vibe of the festival is that of 15,000 of your closest friends. Clowning and laughing all day by sunlight, adventuring the glowing, vibrant grounds and dancing like no one’s watching by moonlight. There is a combination of wooded trails and open fields. The main stage is perfectly placed at the bottom of a smooth, sloping hill so that even the shortest lil festivalgoers (this girl right here) can see the stage from whatever spot your crew holds down.
The Soulshine Tent is home for exploration. There are workshops like yoga and hooping, glassblowing demonstrations, ecological education, and more, in addition to live sets throughout the weekend. Summer Camp has a stellar system of recycling, with color-coded recycling, composting, and garbage bins and Green Team members to help you decipher. Don’t forget Sunrise Kickball on Saturday with Stasik of Umphrey’s!
Tickets
Three-day general admission passes are currently available for $214.50. This includes camping and music. If you want to come on Thursday (there will be music all day and night), pre-party passes are available for $30.00. Sunday-only one-day passes are currently available for $75.00.
VIP upgrades at Camp provide lots of perks. For one, you have the VIP lounge, filled with couches and poofs to lounge on and filled with eclectic decor. There are special VIP-only performances, as well as discounted drink prices. You’ll also get preferred camping and parking. The options range from $200 to $1,000, so check out the VIP page to see if any fit in your budget.
Tricks of the Trade
- Check out our Top 10 Acts to Catch for some artists you may not know about! Also be sure to stop by The Floozies, Exmag, Russ Liquid, Break Science, SuperVision, and winner of The Untz Challenge V, Filibusta. Hey guys, it’s hard to narrow it down to just ten.
- Roam! Even if you’re by yourself. Wander the grounds because there are so many hidden treasures. There is a pirate ship, a Grassroots dome, and lots of attendee-built structures to explore all nestled in the woods. There is a sound cart that peruses the grounds at night you’ll have to see to believe.
- The end of May seems like it should be a nice pleasant 70 degree weekend in mid-Illinois. But the weather can be cruel...it has been heat indexes of 100 degrees (bring sunscreen and shade), and has been cold, rainy, and flooded (bring rain boots and a parka). Come preparado and you will care about what time it is and where the Starshine stage is, rather than sweating the wrath of Mother Earth.
- The festival grounds are located on Illinois Route 29. There are police all along this road and they search if they pull you over, so play it safe and smart.
Late Night
There are plenty of late night options. The Red Barn will host Lotus, Beats Antique, Manic Focus, Gramatik, EOTO, and more. There are limited tickets, however there are plenty of other late-night options including the Vibe Tent with Wick-It the Instigator, Dirt Monkey, Figure, and Russ Liquid.
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