One of the exciting things about flipping the calendar from April to May is the highly anticipated Summer Camp Music Festival. Located 2.5 hours southwest of Chicago, the town of Chillicothe, Illinois triples in population during Memorial Day weekend. Celebrating the 12th annual Summer Camp with an anticipated 15,000 people is exactly how you want to begin your summer festival adventures — that is, if you haven’t already. With more than 75 bands on 7 stages over the course of 3 stacked days. Headlining this year as has been the case from the beginning will be jam-band vets veterans moe. (3 days). This year they are accompanied by Umphrey’s McGee (3 days), Jane’s Addition, Pretty Lights, and Primus. These headliners are followed up by more music for all tastes including electronic artists like Lotus, Zeds Dead, EOTO, 12th Planet, Minnesota, Gramatik as well as equally talented but more jam-influenced groups like Gov’t Mule, Weir, Yonder Mountain String Band and Keller Williams. To see the full lineup click here. The second to last round of tickets are still available for purchase here but there is no promise that the last round will be available due to capacity.
Summercamp is one of the smaller festivals of the summer that still totes a legit lineup. Due to the location, most of the attendees are either from Chicago and the surrounding suburbs with a few campers being pulled from other major and minor cities scattered around the midwest. Chances are you won’t run into that one couple that flew in from Berlin on a redeye or the cluster of Aussies wooing you with their accents. That being said, the midwestern vibe is a comforting one that creates a homegrown atmosphere as if you never left home. Unless you’re a local driving back and forth to the fest everyday, Summercamp is a camping-only engagement. With only one shaded area tucked off to the side intended for VIP-camping the sun can be harsh during the day. We’re talkin hot here people. Hot.
While the stages may look small during the day, the lighting and sound set-ups are top-tier. After seeing Bassnectar throw down at one of the side stages in 2010, I was totally confused the next day walking past the same stage thinking “THAT happened THERE?”. Without a doubt they know what they’re doing and this year’s Summercamp is set for another successful season.
We went ahead and browsed through Summer Camp’s website and created this preview and guide to everything you need to know before attending this year’s festival.
Ticket Info
Current GA Ticket: $194.60
VIP Upgrades begin at additional $185.
Late Nights
Late Night shows will continue this year in usual fashion. Taking place in the Red Barn on Three Sisters Park Property. All shows will require a separate ticket for entry. Tickets sold out within minutes this past Saturday, so we recommend start looking to pick them up second-hand if you want to attend any of these shows.
Friday – Ha Ha the Moose, Les Claypool and the Dead Kenny G’s
Saturday – Brain Damaged Eggmen and Gigantic Underground Conspiracy
Sunday – Break Science, Grammatik and Pretty Lights
In addition, check out Late Night Campfire Jams, Late Night Vibes Tent and Late Night at the Soulshine Tent.
Camping Info
3-Day tickets include Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. If you want to come on Thursday, must purchase Pre-Party pass.
Must purchase general parking per car upon entrance.
RV Spots available here.
List of rules and prohibited items.
Driving Directions and Map are provided here.
Community
Summer Camp prides themselves in being a Green festival as they should, so attendees are asked to please be respectful and encourage fans to keep their camp site clean and tidy, to recycle and to compost. For everything community related questions, visit Summer Camp’s Community page.
Final reminders and thoughts:
1. Parking is not near the camping grounds, therefore carrying your belongings can be difficult. We recommend strongly encourage you bring a wagon or cart or wheelbarrow or something similar to help transport supplies without having to make several trips.
2. Last year we enjoyed sunshine, rain and downpours at Summer Camp. The weather is unpredictable so we suggest packing rain gear or a poncho.
3. Showers are available for $3-5, so bring toiletries if you’d like to rinse off.
4. Bring shoes that you don’t mind if they get ruined.
5. Flags are great for locating your campgrounds. Everything starts to blend together by the end of the night, so these will help you easily find your site.
6. Totem: if you’re a festival novice, a totem is something portable, long, and lightweight that you can hold up in the air so your friends can find you. Amazing thing to have at a festival.
7. Food, drinks, snacks, and the necessities.
We’ll continue to update you as more information is released. For any additional information right now, head over to their website, Facebook or Twitter.
