Trend Spotted: Camping-Themed Events Are on a Wild Rise

To celebrate the launch of its latest workwear-inspired collection, BÉIS hit the road this past summer, stopping at national parks across the U.S. The camp-themed campaign, known as BÉIS Camp, popped up at Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At the park pop-up, visitors were able to shop the new Utility Collection along with other BÉIS bestsellers and exclusive merchandise, as well as get creative at coloring stations, customize a bag charm, and snap pics at a photo booth.

“With a little help from the National Park Foundation, we learned that most Americans live within 100 miles of a national park,” said Liz Money, senior vice president of brand and creative at BÉIS. “So, we set out to hit popular spots across the country to connect with as many people as possible and give them a chance to experience our pop-up alongside the new collection. Plus, it gave us a great excuse to explore some stunning locations ourselves.”

Camp hijinks took center stage last month at Camp Barstool, a camp-themed activation from Barstool Sports. The popular media brand brought 25 of its edgy, entertaining personalities to the middle of the Wisconsin woods for three fun-filled days to livestream classic camp activities like softball, tug-of-war, and an egg toss. (This setup pictured here is where shows like The Yak aired live Aug. 20-22.) Barstool Sports partnered with Mountain Dew and Street Factory Media to produce Camp Barstool.

"We've been thinking about doing something like this for a while; it was just a matter of who was going to buy into it, and Mountain Dew did," says Lisa Litvack, vice president of live events and production ops for Barstool. The soft drink's branding and ethos are ultimately what brought about the camp idea. "We found this camp in Wisconsin that wanted to work with us, and it provided a great backdrop," she adds.

In October 2020, fashion retailer Revolve created an intimate getaway, dubbed CampRevolve, to bring influencers to Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The goal of the event, produced by Mint Collective, was to inspire Revolve customers to create their own meaningful moments out in nature.

Programming for the getaway included hiking in the Grand Canyon, landscape painting, plus picnics and curated dinners on the rim.

In July 2021, the Girl Scouts faced an unusual problem: unsold cookies. Like many vendors back then, the 109-year-old organization fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected its spring selling season since troops weren’t able to set up cookie booths or canvas door to door due to health and safety reasons. To help combat the slow sales, Washington, D.C., waterfront neighborhood The Yards stepped in and hosted its inaugural Cookie Jamboree, produced by The Brand Guild.

Attendees of all ages gathered to take part in camp-inspired activities such as friendship bracelet making, inflatable archery, relay races, dance parties, and (of course) cookie eating. Plus, local restaurants competed to make the best cookie-themed cocktail.

In September 2018, FX took a Friday the 13th event to a whole new level. The TV network created an overnight experience, Camp Redwood, at a 110-acre campground deep in the Santa Monica Mountains. The event was designed to promote American Horror Story: 1984, which takes place at an ‘80s summer camp. FX worked with longtime collaborators Industria Creative to transform the entire property into an immersive theatrical experience, where improv actors depicted counselors, a groundskeeper, a nurse, and other camp staples. The actors treated the attendees as counselors in training.

"The experience was produced with talented improv actors that were cast to portray select archetypes from the slasher subgenre," explained FX's Kenya Hardaway. "It allowed us to keep the guests fully engaged without revealing any key characters ahead of the premiere."

In 2020, big-time brands such as Chase and Southwest Airlines found creative ways to stay connected to their audiences. One way the two brands teamed up to do this: working with event planning and design firm MAS to produce Honeymoons for Heroes pop-ups. The experiences—which took place in Sonoma Valley, Calif., the Bay Area, and New York City—were gifted to five essential-worker couples whose original great escapes were postponed due to COVID-19. This teardrop trailer was used for a couple who spent a lot of time driving across the West Coast and camping out in their car. A campfire and marshmallow-roasting session carried the event’s theme into the night.

To offer a taste of its new Grill Mates seasoning blends, McCormick camped out at three national parks in September 2020 and handed out grilling goodies to Labor Day weekend visitors. The brand partnered with RV rental marketplace RVshare and Kampgrounds of America to host the outdoor pop-up spots as a way to tap into the growing number of travelers who decided to hit the road that year.

The pop-up experiences, which were produced by experimental event production company A Creative Force, boasted a friendly, bohemian vibe, complete with grilling kits that included the Grill Mates seasonings.

A camping theme can work wonders for corporate team building. Just ask Marriott International. In July 2019, the hotel brand brought together W Hotels general managers and directors of sales and marketing for a three-day experience, produced by BMF, known as W Summer Camp. The goal was to give these professionals a firsthand experience of W Hotels' Whatever/Whenever campaign. The experience was complete with a custom logo; summer camp colors, collateral, and graphics; and camp-style games and activities, each intended to demonstrate aspects of the Whatever/Whenever service.

Hilton's recent partnership with AutoCamp is another example of major hotel brands channeling a camp theme. Earlier this year, Hilton announced a collab with outdoor hospitality company AutoCamp. AutoCamp stays are bookable on Hilton’s direct channels and give Hilton guests direct access to outdoor hospitality that the brand argues goes beyond “glamping." AutoCamp offers custom-designed Airstreams, spacious cabins, luxury tents, and other unique accommodations, all centered around a social hub that offers F&B options, merchandise, and retail items, along with communal fire pits, swimming pools, group meeting spaces, and other common areas.

We've also seen camp themes at social events, like this wedding from 2022. Creative agency owner Whitney Headen used her marketing expertise to plan her own experiential wedding, dubbed Camp Madikane, at Hutton Brickyards in Kingston, N.Y. The three-day gathering was a sprawling retreat with luxury cabins and waterfront views. Planned by Tricia Smith Brown of TSB Planning & Design, the wedding's camp theme was inspired by the venue and by Headen’s desire to give her attendees an environment where they’d want to stay for three days.

“How do we recreate that feeling of a summer camp?" she said of her inspiration. "It was all about love and happiness and family and togetherness, and really introducing people to new faces and things that they've never seen before.” The indoor event, pictured here, had picnic tables, a custom-built stage, and Southern cookout and South African braille-themed food stations from chef Tiffani Janelle.

Back in 2018, Pier 35 (one of San Francisco’s oldest and largest event venues) hosted a stylish, winter campground-theme event that highlighted 40 local vendors. Metro Events teamed up with Danielle Gibson Events to plan and design the January bash, which drew almost 1,000 people. The showcase transformed 60,000 square feet of the venue into an Instagram-friendly glamping space, which organizers dubbed Camp Pier 35. Libations Unlimited served warm drinks, such as coffee and hot toddies, throughout the evening from this wooden camper.

The idea for a camp theme came from Danielle Gibson, who was inspired by the historic venue. “We loved the idea of playing into the raw- and ruggedness of the pier,” explained Kimberley Patten, former sales and marketing manager for Metro Events. “It is over 100 years old and is made of wood, which is visible in the exposed high beam ceilings. ... It was complementary to our outdoor wilderness theme.”

In August 2017, small-business owners and entrepreneurs gathered for the first-ever School of Hustle at Hedley & Bennett’s Los Angeles headquarters. The daylong conference, which was presented by Instagram for Business and the trendy apron company, allowed attendees to swap insights and advice on navigating the small-business world, as well as learn lessons on using social media effectively. The one-day event, which was styled by Twink + Sis, featured a summer camp theme with canoes; teepees; and outdoor-inspired, Instagrammable details.