Camp Punksylvania festival marries the greatest parts of the Warped Tour and NYC’s Punk Island…all while equally having its own unique identity. This is EASILY the most community-oriented, safe, friendly, and FUN experience one could have within the space of punk music that I have been to.

This is my second consecutive Camp Punx—last year’s experience was great too…but this year was a whole level up. From the showers to the stage setup…to the camping locations, everything was laid out and managed beautifully. Probably the biggest issues with festivals is that you’re prone to missing someone…but not at Camp Punx. The 3 stages alternated with no overlap and 2 stages were right next to the campsites so you could hear bands as you went back to eat or whatever. Both bathrooms were also directly next to the stages so you weren’t even missing out when you had to crack a piss…does it get any better than that?

There is even an after hours stage for all you night owls and insomniacs that carries the show til 2 am.
NOTE: I did not see one bit of this stage because I am more of a morning person and by 11 pm I am done for.

Friday 7/5:

Camp kicked off at the Waxpax stage (sponsored by Waxpax Records) and alternated with the Riot Stage (sponsored by Skid Row Garage). Both of these stages were next to the campsites so everyone could hear the bands as they set up their tents and sites. Dr. Frankenstein’s Monster provided the soundtrack to our setup…and I jumped in to catch the end of Suburban Downgrade, who I also caught at the fest last year. We then zigzagged between the two main stages to jam with D.O.A., Flatfoot 56, Codefendents, Keep Flying, and finally the mighty 7 Seconds closed out the night. I think the energy of the day really changed with the Codefendents performance…it was just a sound that really stood out and drew the crowd together. There was a spark of camaraderie that grew by the hour.

Honestly, after the first night I knew that this event was something special. Running into familiar faces from last year left and right, positive attitudes at every stage, and joyful looking people all around. Punk love was in the air.

Overnight, a rolling thunderstorm hit around 3 am and sent all of us campers into a frenzy to keep our gear from being flooded. It was a real monsoon, with thunder that shook my van…but when we awoke the next morning, somehow it felt like we were all closer to one another. We all went through this crazy experience together as a group. And folks shared supplies, helped fix setups, and offered themselves to one another any way they could…we had formed a community.

Saturday 7/6:

This was a looooong day, which kicked off with the Waxpax stage’s open mic, where any camper got an opportunity to play or share a performance. Awesome concept to get folks up and into the setup early. NEPA punx Meanderthal followed shortly after with a family friendly set, where at one point all the mics were held by kids while we all moshed to a Descendents tune. That slid right into punk rock karaoke provided by Career Mode on Skid Row’s Riot stage. Another awesome idea that brought people out early, got them singing arm in arm, and even got a few of them on stage. This community was growing stronger by the hour.

Instead of going through all the bands I saw, I’ll give a bit of a list for Saturday’s lineup…

Favorite band: Soji
Biggest surprise: Catbite
Best crowd: The Bronx
Most underrated: The Car Bomb Parade
A Fun Time: Vulture Raid

Again, Camp Punx is set up in a way where you really don’t have to miss much, so it was so cool to see all the bands that day. The momentum building throughout the day made everyone so comfortable with one another and we were all on the same page with having fun here. Families, kids, couples, older folks, teens, parents, weirdos…everyone was truly united. By the end of the day, I knew I was going to get my first tattoo here. This was my cult.

Sunday 7/7:

Opening up the day again was the open mic at the Waxpax stage (which I had the pleasure of participating in!) Then Sweet Anne Marie warmed us all up and got us ready for another set of karaoke—which hit a LOT harder this time around. After another night of community building, we were all family at this point. We either had the second skin still intact for our fresh Camp Punx logo tattoo, or eagerly waiting for our appointment (like me). I’ll dive into another list for this day…

Favorite band: Mary Shelley
Biggest surprise: The Galaxy Has Eyes
Best crowd: Career Mode
Most underrated: Racist Kramer
A Fun Time: Skating Polly

Of course, Bad Cop Bad Cop and Less Than Jake closed out the night, taking what little energy we had left…and the herd of smiles went back to the campsite—but lots made their way to the after hours stage. We really didn’t want this to end.

To conclude here, I left Camp Punx like many others…with the logo freshly tattooed and in a joyous daze of exhaustion. This fest is true to its tagline: THIS IS A CULT!!!

I will never ever EVER miss this fest…and neither should YOU!

See you all next year!!!