Camp Quirky review – our weekend at a self-build campervan festival
Last weekend we attended our first Camp Quirky alongside hundreds of other self-builders and self-build enthusiasts. While we’ve been to our fair share of festivals, we’ve never been to anything quite like this before. Camp Quirky is the nation’s first dedicated self-build campervan festival, and we didn’t quite know what to expect to be honest.
So, we thought we should share our Camp Quirky review. If you’re considering going to the next Camp Quirky, then this quick read should give you a good idea of what to expect.
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Here’s how the weekend shaped up for us…
1. The vans
Oh the vans. Such beautiful vans. We’ve spent so many hours scrolling through photos of van conversions online, it was refreshing to be able to have a real-life, three-dimensional nose around hundreds all at once. There were some dedicated ‘show’ areas near to the main arena, with professional converters, YouTubers and the Quirky Campers fleet, but doors were opened throughout the campsites as well, with signs inviting you to come on in and take a look.
There were a few large live-in vehicles, along with endless rows of panel van conversions. There seemed to be every style, every layout and every finish imaginable, showcasing some creative storage solutions and imaginative décor. There were also vans at pretty much every stage of completion too, meaning you could see exactly how someone was building their framework or how someone else was installing their insulation.
Apparently there were 2000 people on site and over 800 vans, so if we’d wanted to spend the whole weekend just looking at vans, we almost certainly could have!
2. Our kin
The people we met at Camp Quirky are our kind of people. People who were keen to understand us and share an insight into their own world, explaining what makes them tick and what their motivation for self-building is.
While many people simply wanted to poke their heads in and take a look at the van, some wanted to understand the technicalities of our build, such as solar wattage calculations and how many millimetres of insulation we’d used. We enjoyed being able to get into these nitty, gritty details with people who genuinely cared.
Others simply wanted to chat to us about their travel plans or (on meeting Ella) tell us all about their own dogs. We enjoyed this just as much.
Yes, in short, these people are our kin.
3. We could bring our dog
If we couldn’t have taken Ella with us, then chances are we couldn’t have gone, so it was a massive plus for us that this is a dog-friendly festival. There were only a limited number of dog tickets available which sold out long before the human tickets did, so it’s essential to book early for four-legged friends.
There are ground rules (of course) but these aren’t unreasonable. You have to keep your dog on a lead, clean up after it and not allow it to maul any children. Seems pretty fair to us.
Ella even got a little goodie bag containing poo bags, a pack of treats and a pouch of Pooch & Mutt food that she practically lost her mind over. She was one happy doggo.
4. It’s solar powered
All of the electricity needed to power the lights and music last weekend was generated by the sun, and it seems that this festival is committed to keeping things that way.
This radical, environmentally friendly approach to running a festival wins Camp Quirky points in our opinion.
5. The workshops
There was a comprehensive timetable of workshops during the day, which were all specifically geared around self-build van conversions. These included technical workshops on things like electrics, furniture building and insulation as well as some more crafty ones such as bunting and felting.
As our build is almost complete we prioritised nosing around vans over the workshops, but some of our friends who are at an earlier stage in their conversion made the most of the free guidance and got a lot out of these workshops.
6. Keeping the kids out of trouble
As we don’t have children ourselves, we’re not often in-tune with how well appointed a festival is for little ones. This time though there was a miniature addition to our group in the form of our friend’s 8 year old daughter.
We can say with some confidence that she had a blast. There was plenty to keep her entertained, such as circus skills, crazy golf and craft workshops, and it felt like a safe enough environment for parents to be able to loosen the reigns just enough while still keeping tabs on their kids.
7. The line-up
Where exactly do you draw the line between a van show and a festival? Well we reckon that line probably gets drawn by the music line-up and the other entertainment that’s on offer. If this side of things is lacking, then you’re simply at a van show and when the night rolls in you’ll be back at camp having a nightcap with your buddies.
While it was never going to turn into an all-night party, Camp Quirky did manage to tread this line well. There were some great bands on and the space allocated to live music was just right to give it a good atmosphere without feeling overcrowded. Friday night, the Baghdaddies headlined, Saturday night it was the Carny Villains and Cut Capers closed the show on Sunday.
So, should you go?
If you’re hoping for a wild weekend where you don’t sleep for 3 days, then maybe this isn’t quite the right choice for you. Likewise, if you’ve got zero interest in self-build campervans, then Camp Quirky might not be what you’re after.
If, however, you are interested in self-builds and you want a decent party in a field with 2000 like-minded souls, then we couldn’t recommend it more. We got exactly what we’d hoped for out of our weekend at Camp Quirky, and were left with a warm, fuzzy glow as smiling stewards waved us out of the gates on Monday morning.
*Update August 2020 – tickets for Camp Quirky 2020 sold out in just 2 days. All 2020 ticket holders were then given the opportunity to roll tickets over to 2021 after Covid-19 ruined everyone’s plans. If you missed out on 2020 tickets, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Quirky Campers website, joining the “Quirky Campfire” Facebook page and signing up to the Quirky Campers mailing list for any re-released tickets.