Theme Camps
Temporary Villages for Permanent Adventurers
At Badger, we don't just attend — we inhabit. Theme camps are the beating hearts of our temporary desert civilization: collaborative micro-villages where crews of beautiful misfits co-create experiences, offer gifts, host rituals, inspire the wiggling of bodies, and generally make the gathering way more interesting than any of us could alone.
What Even The Super Heck Is a Theme Camp?
Imagine a group of friends who share a specific obsession — maybe it's bass music, maybe it's shadow puppetry, maybe it's competitive napping — and decide to build an entire encampment around that obsession. They bring structures, vibes, offerings, and an unreasonable amount of enthusiasm. That's a theme camp.
Theme camps are the infrastructure of our collective imagination. They transform empty desert into a labyrinth of experiences: a place to dance, a place to rest, a place to receive unsolicited life advice from a stranger in a sequined robe, a place to discover that your new favorite genre of music has a name you can't pronounce.
Theme camps are application-based and spaces are limited. If you have a vision, a crew, and a willingness to co-create, we want to hear from you.
The Sacred Geometry of Camp Placement
Our desert canvas has limited real estate, and we've carefully mapped out zones where different types of sonic and experiential energy can coexist in beautiful chaos. Here's how the space breaks down:
Sound Camps
For crews whose core offering involves speakers, subwoofers, and the kind of frequencies that rearrange your internal organs in the best possible way. These spots are positioned in our designated sound zone where bass can breathe and the party can rage without starting a war with the coyotes.
3 sacred spots for sound-forward camps
Up to 80 dB (measured 6 ft from source) — enough to feel it in your chakras, not quite enough to register on seismographs
All-night operation welcome — the bass doesn't sleep and neither do we
Plot sizes: 50', 75', or 100' square (sorta) — assigned based on your setup's needs
Territory Options
We assign plot sizes based on what your camp actually needs — tell us about your vision and we'll carve out the right chunk of desert for your particular flavor of madness.
These dimensions are guidelines, not commandments etched in stone tablets. The desert doesn't care about your tape measure. We'll work with you to find the shape that fits.
The Compound
100' × 100'For crews with grand delusions and the infrastructure to back them up. Multiple structures, dedicated dance floors, art installations that need their own postal code.
~10,000 sq ft of unbridled ambition
The Sweet Spot
75' × 75'Goldilocks energy. Enough room to spread out, not so much you'll spend the whole week wondering what to do with that empty corner. Just right for camps that want presence without the burden of empire.
~5,600 sq ft of balanced chaos
The Cozy Corner
50' × 50'Concentrated magic. For crews who know that potency doesn't require acreage — sometimes the most transcendent experiences happen in intimate spaces.
~2,500 sq ft of focused intention
The Vibe Check
Desert-proof humans — you bring your own structures, power, shade, water, snacks, and whatever else keeps your crew from becoming tumbleweeds. We're not your mom.
Gift economy wizards — no vending, no selling, no "suggested donations." Your offering is your offering. The universe keeps score.
Leave No Trace disciples — pack it in, pack it out, leave the desert wondering if you were ever there at all. MOOP is a four-letter word.
Collaborators, not competitors — theme camps share generators (when it's not, like, totally a huge bummer), swap ingredients, lend shade structures, and generally act like neighbors in a very small, very dusty village.
Vision-havers — your idea doesn't need to be elaborate or expensive. It needs to be yours. Half-baked concepts welcome — we'll help you find the oven.
People who show up — if you commit, you commit. Our gathering depends on the yous that are in us, and that's you — or something. Flaking is for pastries, not theme camps.
Don't have it all figured out? Neither did anyone else at first. Reach out — we speak fluent half-formed dream.
Manifest Your Vision
Spaces are limited. Applications are required. Whether you're bringing all-night dancing, transcendent art, healing modalities, absurdist theater, or something we literally cannot categorize — we want to know what you're dreaming.
Accepted camps get discounted tickets for their crew. Your contribution to the gathering earns you a place in the annals of theme camp history — or at least a really good story to tell at parties.
Applications coming soon!
Less Frequently Pondered Specific Things We Thought You Might Like to Know
Do theme camp crews get discounted tickets?
Indeed they do. Accepted camps get access to discounted tickets for their people — consider it a thank-you for building the village that makes Badger worth visiting. Details come with your acceptance letter.
Can we arrive early to set up?
We hook you up with early arrival for setup. Details come with your acceptance letter.
My sound system isn't exactly "massive" — should I still apply?
Absolutely. We're not looking for who has the most subs — we're looking for who has the most soul. The 80 dB cap means this isn't an arms race. A curated vinyl setup with good curation beats a wall of speakers playing the same playlist everyone's already heard. Tell us what makes your sound special.
Is there power provided?
Nope. This is a "bring your own electrons" situation. Generators, solar panels, hamster wheels, whatever keeps your lights on. Once placements are set, neighboring camps might even share power — it's one of those beautiful collaborative things that can happen when the right zigs zag into the right neighbors.
Where does my crew actually sleep?
Theme camp plots are for your offerings — the dance floor, the chill space, the art thing, whatever you're building. Personal camping (tents, vehicles, your cousin's RV) happens in general camping, and that is available to you with festival admittance. Coordinate with your camp lead about logistics. Cluster in general camping together or set up tasteful lodging in your theme camp — it's your call.
When do I need to apply by?
We review applications as they come in — no hard deadline, but spots are finite and the good ones go to those who show up early with clear vision. Waiting until June to describe your dream camp is a great way to watch someone else live it. Start the conversation now.
"The best camps are the ones where you stumble in at sunrise, stay for six hours, and leave wondering why your default life doesn't have a dedicated pancake wizard. Build that. Be that."
— The Badger Placement Council (15 humans with spreadsheets and very strong opinions about shade structures)