About...

The Summer Camp series officially began in 2007 but the roots of the idea go back a decade or more. The Summer Campers are a family of event organizers and performers that have all been movers and shakers for many years in the New York music & art event culture, together and on our own. Between us we have organized hundreds of events in warehouses, parks, streets, trucks, theaters, boats, rooftops, lofts, lots, galleries, and occasionally clubs. We find inspiration from the global Teknival and Rainbow movements, from the Earthdream mobile festival in Australia and Dreamtime Village in Wisconsin, from North American open festivals such as Northtek and St Jean Basstiste in Canada, The Autonomous Mutant Festival on the West Coast, and Bezerkus in the Midwest, and from all sorts of grassroots gatherings and festivals the world over, as well as the festival in the desert.

The Summer Camp events are first and foremost, by and for the people that make things happen all year around in the new York area and beyond, so that we can all together unwind in the mountain air and enjoy each other’s talents without the city stresses, and to share the creative and personal freedom of an outdoor campout with our urban friends. Beyond that, we hope that we will all inspire each other to consider new ideas that may catalyze the growing festival network we see around us, and for us all to experience a small sample of a possible intentional community. We believe that between all of us, we have the ability to find and acquire land of our own, that we may own and run as a community, that can be used for any sort of gathering, festival, workshop, or even living space. With enough of us, we can use our collected limitless resources and talent to create this community, far enough from the city that we can have a large space, but close enough that it is still accessible for all of us. We hope to help channel some of the enormous energy generated in New York toward a permanent autonomous zone in the region, rooted here in the crucible that is the city, that can be its own node in the continental and global festival network.

This event is on private land, so that we can be close to the city, and so that we can some sovereignty from the civilized world. Our gracious and generous hosts are the owners of the land, and are also active within our shared event family networks. We hope to create a space that is wide open to all types of artistic and creative expression, and that everyone will bring what they can to share with all.